The Road to Eldorado YU-GI-OH Style
by TTY7
Summary: When an argument between Joey and Kaiba goes too far, a dimensional witch decides to teach the two boys a lesson by sending them back in time to retrieve a precious treasure within the lost city of gold, stating that this treasure is the only means of returning from whence they came. Now forced into an alliance, can Joey and Kaiba resolve their differences and make it back home?
1. The Last Day of School

A/N: You know, many of my friends on here (SuperNova 23 XD) are probably shaking their head saying "Woman, are you crazy? You have like ten other stories you need to be working on." To which I'm replying, "I must get rid of all excess creativity so I can work on what needs to be worked on. Then again, right now, this is more about having some fun. The following is an idea that just came to me last night. As the title states, this is The Road to Eldorado YU-GI-OH Style. Now, I'm not gonna go on explaining why I'm doing this. Let's just get to the good stuff.

Warnings: I'm bringing in a character from Tsubasa Chronicles, but she will only be in the first and second chapter of this story, you know, to bring about the plot. I also use all the English names for everyone in the YU-GI-OH series.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters affiliated with YU-GI-OH or Tsubasa Chronicle. (Don't worry this is not a crossover...well not really.) Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the first chapter.

Chapter 1

The Last Day of School

Friday May 18th, 2012

7:30 a.m.

"Ah, what a beautiful day!"

Joey Wheeler stretched both his arms above his head, sighing in content as the rays of the sun warmed his boyish face. His chocolate brown eyes sparkled in their usual splendor as he started down the bustling streets of Domino City with his school bag in hand. His attire consisted of a navy blue jacket, which he left unbuttoned to reveal a white t-shirt underneath, navy blue pants, and his favorite black and yellow tennis shoes. As he walked, a soft breeze blew through his messy blonde locks, pieces of said locks falling into his line of sight. He whistled softly, his arms still locked behind his head as he caught sight of Tea and Tristan waiting for him in the town square.

"Hey!" Joey called out, sprinting toward them as a broad grin lifted the corners of his mouth. "It's the last day of classes!"

Tea and Tristan turned, smiling as Joey exclaimed, "Are you excited!? After today, high school will be a thing of the past. No more homework, no more crappy lunches..."

"No more listening to you rant on and on," Tristan interjected, a sly smirk on his face and a gleam in his dark hazel eyes.

Joey growled at him, clenching his fist in the air. "Tristan, one of these days that mouth of yours is gonna get you into a heap of trouble and I won't be there to bail you out."

Tristan scoffed loudly. "I'm usually the one that has to bail you out, Wheeler." A laugh fell from his lips as the smirk on his face turned into a devious smile. "Remember when you hit on our history teacher last year?"

"I thought she was a student!"

"Guys, break it up," Tea cut in, stepping between them while jabbing her elbows in both their ribs. This earned immediate complaints from both of them, but Tea shook her head saying, "Today is the last day we'll spend together as students. I want to enjoy it."

Joey sighed. "You're right, who knows where life will take us after this."

"Yeah," Tristan agreed, nodding his head. "We're all going our separate ways I guess."

For a moment the trio found themselves locked in a tense silence. Thankfully for them, Yugi Muto, a.k.a. the king of games, chose that moment to arrive on the scene.

"Hey guys!" he shouted, breathing heavily while pressing his hands to his knee-caps. "Grandpa held me up a little."

Tea smiled. "No worries Yugi, I definitely don't want to rush this day."

Joey frowned a bit, noting the sad look in her sapphire eyes. "Come on Tea, don't talk as if this is the last day we'll ever see each other. There's still graduation day and summer vacation and then..." the blonde trailed off then, his brain failing him.

"I know," Tea replied, her gaze falling to the ground. "I just...hate goodbyes I guess."

Her words struck a chord and caused another awkward silence to envelop them. A year earlier, the pharaoh, Atem rather, took his journey to the afterlife, leaving Yugi and the rest of the gang behind. The group move forward from this, but the mention of "goodbyes" left the group with a feeling of loss, even though everything had truly turned out for the best. Dealing with anything resembling the events of that day, een in the smallest of ways, was a difficult task for all of them.

Unbeknownst to the others, Joey felt the most lost, knowing that his friends would all reach for the stars. Yugi was the king of games, Tea was heading to New York to become a prominent dancer, and Tristan, believe it or not, was preparing for culinary school.

But Joey had no immediate plan. He wanted to continued dueling, but he didn't want it to turn into just a silly hobby. He desired the glory Yugi had; the glory said young man had no true purpose for anymore. Joey wanted to be recognized and respected. He wanted what any true duelist wants...to be the best.

Unfortunately, life had a way of cheating him out of the things he truly craved for, thus leaving him without much of game plan to go on. It's not like he could just leave his dad behind. Granted the man was a useless and pathetic drunk, but he was still his father. Joey didn't take comfort in the idea of abandoning him.

He wasn't all that fond of staying either, but his choices were limited. His grades hadn't been fantastic. As it stood, he barely graduated. It wasn't from lack of intelligence, more because he was never ambitious about his studies. Of course now, Joey was regretting that he didn't try harder. At least then he would have an actual excuse to leave Domino and his father. At this point, the only colleges that were gracious enough to accept her were colleges around the community.

Joey yawned loudly then, deciding that now wasn't the time to worry over such things. He would live moment by moment, day by day. Nothing more, nothing less.

With that thought in mind, he smiled his widest grin. "Come on! Let's go guys!"

* * *

Later, outside the principal's office.

8:59 a.m.

Seto Kaiba groaned loudly, seething in self-loathing at not realizing that May 18th was doomed to be a horrible, no good, very bad day.

His day started out normally enough. He woke up, albeit from a nightmare that routinely came every other Thursday night. He showered, brushed his teeth, put on his school uniform, etc. After this routine, he ate breakfast with his twelve, nearly thirteen year old brother Mokuba, and then traveled off for an early business meeting before school.

School...honestly it had been a complete waste of time, but a necessary waste for he had to set a good example for his younger brother. Thankfully, today would be the final day wasted for the rest of his natural-born life...he hoped.

Today would also be the last day he would be forced to set eyes on Yugi and the lunatics he called friends...of course if some villain just happened to fall out of the sky, the young CEO of Kaiba Corp. was fairly certain that Yugi and company would find him and plead with him to help save the world...again.

Time had allowed for Kaiba to tolerate them, even accept them as aquaintences...with the express exception of the mongrel.

Joey Wheeler continuously rubbed him the wrong way. Kaiba could respect and deal with the blonde to a certain extent, but on most occasions well...let's just say that the two of them argued constantly. It was always one thing or another. Sometimes it was Joey trying to be friendly in which Kaiba responded by shrugging it off and Joey would respond to that by getting angry. Other times, Joey might challenge him to a duel. Kaiba would call it a waste of time but engage in a duel with him anyway just to prove his point as he would win within the hour. Joey, once again, would get angry. There were many other times when Kaiba actually provoked these reactions with an antagonistic grin or a snide comment.

In any case, this was a daily occurence between the two of them. Kaiba had learned to deal with it without much thought or trouble.

But today...Kaiba had dared to hope, even believe that this day would be different. Yes, he dared to think that Joey Wheeler would leave him alone on the last day of school.

No such luck.

Joey attempted to say hello during home-room in which Kaiba shrugged in his usual nonchalant way. Normally, the mutt would then roll his eyes, follow that eye roll with a few choice words and then Kaiba would return the jibe, causing Joey's temper to flare up for a bit and then life would go on from there. No big deal.

However, Joey chose today of all days to be unpredictable.

"Moneybags, you could at least attempt to say hello when someone speaks to you."

Kaiba inwardly groaned at this annoyance. "Why should I?"

"Well, after today there's a good chance none of us will ever see ya again," Joey replied, crossing his arms in front of his chest."

"I think I prefer it that way," Kaiba stated, rolling his sapphire eyes.

Yugi tugged on Joey's sleeve. "Come on Joey, just leave him alone. Do you really want to fight today?"

Apparently he did. A fuse snapped in Joey's head and he slammed his hands on Kaiba's desk screaming, "You always turn your nose up at people. You really think you're better than everybody else don't ya!? Just cause you're rich and own a company doesn't give you the right to put yourself on a freaking pedestal!"

"I'm surprised you even know what a pedestal is, Wheeler," Kaiba muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

Joey narrowed his gaze, his eyes glowering. "I may not be as smart as you Kaiba, but that doesn't make me stupid, it makes you a complete nerd!"

Kaiba outright laughed at that. "You aren't seriously calling me a nerd, are you? Get real, Wheeler. You've always been the loser. In studies, in Duel Monsters, and pretty much in life."

Yugi stepped forward then. "Hold on Kaiba, that's out of line..."

"Stay out of this Yug," Joey cut in, his gaze never leaving Kaiba's. "At least I have a life. You on the other hand practically live at Kaiba Corp. The only friend you have is your brother and at this rate you're gonna end up alone. It's not like your brother can stay glued to your side forever."

Kaiba's hands clenched into tight fists. Wheeler was treading on thin ice now.

"He's gonna end up resenting you for always choosing work over him!"

"Joey stop it!" Tea shouted, coming up behind Yugi.

"Yeah, man, cool it," Tristan pleaded, noting that a crowd was beginning to surround them.

Yugi's violet gaze was locked on Kaiba's hands. They were shaking now, which definitely counted as being a really bad sign that a fight was about to go down. He glanced up at Joey, he was practically seething in rage too, but not for the reasons everyone else thought. Yugi could see that there was something more bothering him, but that he was just directing all his pent up aggression towards Kaiba.

"You know nothing," Kaiba muttered suddenly, rising to his feet. "You understand nothing."

Yugi tried to warn Joey to back down, but the blonde wasn't having it. "I understand nothing, no you understand nothing! You have no idea of just how lucky you are, but instead of being thankful for what you have, you chose to put others down and act emo all the time! Just what is your deal man?"

"Shut up!" Kaiba fired back, malice so thick in his gruff voice that Joey actually flinched a bit. "If you know what's good for you, you'll sit down at your desk and stay away from me Wheeler."

"And if I don't?" Joey questioned, regaining his composure. "What are you gonna do..."

Without warning, Kaiba slammed his fist straight towards Joey's awaiting face. However, when Joey dodged, that punch ended up smacking into Tristan's nose.

Yugi and Tea both gasped. "Tristan!"

Tristan fell onto the floor, his nose clearly broken and bleeding profusely. Kaiba didn't get the chance to even attempt an apology (like he would ever give one at all) as Joey reeled back his fist and attempted his own punch. Kaiba grabbed his wrist and punched the blonde hard in the stomach, but that didn't stop Joey from fighting back. He elbowed Kaiba in the ribs, kicked at his shins, and pretty much slammed his whole body weight into him. At the same time, Kaiba grabbed his heavy silver briefcase, directing all his rage at Joey's head when he swung the briefcase.

Easy to say that the teacher walked in on this display and ended it before the two teens could kill each other.

Which was why Kaiba and Joey were both sitting in the outside the principal's office.

"This is all your fault," Joey whispered, glaring at the floor.

"I'm not the one that initiated the fight," Kaiba argued, his gaze also locked on the floor.

"You hit Tristan in the face!"

"I was trying to hit you because you wouldn't shut up! Your friend got in the way."

"Jerk."

"Retard."

"Double jerk!"

"Retard to the infinitive power."

"..."

"It means you are a retard, have always been a retard, and will always be a retard," Kaiba explained, rolling his eyes. "Now shut up, retard."

"Is that the only name you can call me?" Joey questioned, seething all over again.

"No, there's moron, idiot, block-head, dolt, cretin, dunce, simpleton, fool, need I go on or are you just asking me to say what I really think of you?"

"Shut up."

It was during this display that the new guidance counselor, Ms. Yuuko, stepped out of the principal's office. She had long locks of jet black hair and crimson red eyes. Her skin was pale, almost deathly so, but she was still very pretty. She wore a crisp black business blazer, black pinstriped pants, and black pumps.

The two boys didn't notice her at first, but after a clearing of her throat, they both snapped to attention.

"I've talked the two of you out of expulsion from the graduation ceremony," she began, motioning for the two of them to follow her down the hall. "However, this leniency has some conditions."

"Sounds fantastic," Kaiba muttered, sarcasm leaking from every word as he rose to his feet. Joey followed, grumbling about his bad luck.

"You see, I have a task that only the two of you can complete." There was a sly smirk on her face, but Kaiba and Joey couldn't see it. "Tell me, children, what was the reason for your squabble."

Joey groaned. "Kaiba started it." He sounded like a two-year old.

"Wheeler here addressed me," Kaiba answered, sounding far older than he actually was, "I responded in my usual way and then he instigated an argument, hitting below the belt and such."

"No way, I asked you a simple question," Joey argued, glaring at the back of Kaiba's head. "You're the one that started hitting below the belt first!"

"I was only stating the truth."

"Being a complete butt is what you were doing."

Yuuko rolled her crimson eyes. "Children, children, enough. I have the full picture." The smile on her face widened. "I believe this task will help in settling your differences."

"We don't need to settle our differences," Kaiba stated bluntly. "We don't need to see or talk to each other ever again."

"At least we agree on that," Joey muttered, nodding his head.

Yuuko laughed. "You two have more in common than you'd like to believe." She turned left, opening the door to her "office". "I will show you."

Kaiba and Joey exchanged confused glances which turned into glares in two seconds flat.

"Come children," Yuuko called, "we have business to attend to."

Kaiba narrowed his gaze. He didn't trust this woman. There was something...off about her.

Joey felt the same about the situation, but there was no way he was about to agree with Kaiba on anything else, so without any hesitation he followed after Yuuko. With express irritation, Kaiba followed as well, figuring he may as well get this task over with.

However, seconds after entering the room, they found themselves being surrounded by a blinding light.

"Aaaaaaaaaaah!" Joey screamed, covering his eyes with both his arms. "What the heck is going on!?"

Kaiba used one arm to cover his eyes, squinting as he tried to see what was happening and getting nowhere. After a moment he closed them completely.

_Looks like another villain just fell out of the sky_.

The light finally disappeared, allowing for the two young men to open their eyes. The scenery around them had drastically changed from hallways, classrooms, and offices, and into the middle of a courtyard. Straight in front of them stood a tall Japanese style building that resembled a shrine. A deck extended out from the building, leading to a small bridge that went over a wide creek. On either side of the central path were small fields of fragrant flowers and grasses. The sky was dark, filled with clouds as if it were about to rain.

Yuuko stood on the bridge, having somehow changed out of her business attire and into a black kimono styled dress. Her hair was now pinned up into a high pony-tail, with tendrils of her bangs falling over her face and shoulders.

At that moment all the two teens could do was just stare in awe and ask...

"What the heck have we gotten ourselves into?"

* * *

A/N: And that ends the first chapter! At first I was gonna make it a little longer, but I decided that what happens from here probably needs to be at the beginning of the next chapter. The next chapter, will involve some time travel and will take us into the main plot. I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. Not much humor in this chapter, but next chapter...except some funny stuff. Thanks for reading. If you like it, review it!


	2. The Dimensional Witch

A/N: And here comes chapter two! In this one, I'm going to focus in more on Kaiba and his emotions regarding all this craziness. So, let's get on to the fun stuff.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any characters brought in from Tsubasa Chronicle. (I promise, this is not a crossover, though I write plenty of them.) XD

Chapter 2

The Dimensional Witch

Kaiba growled audibly while inwardly cursing the day Joey Wheeler was born.

Call it harsh or despicable, Kaiba would even allow over-dramatic to make the list of judgements to the statement, but regardless of whatever people might think, he felt the same. He cursed the day the mongrel came into existence.

The reason you ask? It's fairly simple really. On top of always being an annoying nuisance half the time...

"Welcome to my humble home children!"

...The fool has a knack for dragging him into troublesome situations that serve no other purpose but to waste precious time. Kaiba glared at the blonde, hoping that he felt fortunate. No one else has been able to get under his skin this much and live to tell the tale...over and over again.

For a moment Kaiba began to question why he had continually allowed this abomination to torture him day in a day out for the last year or so. He figured the reason may have stemmed from his respect for Yugi Muto. Yes, if Wheeler weren't his "best friend"-why anyone would pick him to be a mere acquaintance was beyond Kaiba's comprehension at this point-the young C.E.O. would have had no inhibitions about doing away with the stupid punk. In other words, he would have most certainly killed the mongrel by now.

Kaiba retracted the thought, realizing quickly that it was because of Yugi that he had met the cretin at all. Perhaps he should redirect his attention on getting rid on the short, spiky haired teen instead. It would definitely free up the number one duelist slot at the very least.

Contemplating first degree murder wasn't going to help in the current predicament though, so with a sigh, Kaiba glanced up at Yuuko, the apparent antagonist of this turn of events. He studied her crimson eyes, searching for any ill intent and unable to read anything aside from the fact that she was amused by all this.

He continued to stare at her, thinking back on when he had accidentally bumped into Yuuko in the hallway two months earlier. She had immediately struck him as odd, but he didn't think much of it as she introduced herself as the new guidance counselor, hand-picked by the head of the school board himself. Kaiba, being the student of prestige that he was, had met the man as well. His name was Professor Gerald Fai. He was an avid learner, a true scholar at heart, but he prefered to use his talents in helping high school students achieve their full potential rather than increase his own intellect. He hand-picked most of all the people who worked in the Domino school systems, including the principal of Domino High, Mr. Thomas Kurogane.

Mr. Kurogane was not an easy-going man. In fact, he had a pretty terrible temper. If he wasn't sending a poor kid to detention he was yelling at a teacher for some off the wall thing. Of course, he had his moments of being reserved and calm too, mostly during emergency school announcements and such. In any case, talking him down when he was angry was nearly an impossible task for anyone.

So, for a fairly new employee, to plead their case and win...well she must be tougher than her appearance would let on.

As for the change of scenery, well that was a different matter altogether. A year ago, Kaiba would have called this a hocus pocus mind trick or a long, drawn out, sugar induced dream. If he were to be honest with himself, he'd say those possibilities are still debatable, but ever since watching Yugi duel...himself...Seto Kaiba now considers magic as a possibility too.

A very _slight _and _improbable _possibility, but a possibility nonetheless. As far as anyone else knows though, this is all a hocus pocus mind trick and nothing more.

Joey steps forward, pointing his index finger in an accusatory manner as he screams, "What's the big idea lady! Where are we?"

Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Kaiba addressed the woman saying, "You've got some nerve tricking me into whatever scheme you have planned."

Yuuko smirked, her red eyes gleaming as a few droplets of rain began to fall from the clouds above them. "It's no scheme Seto Kaiba. I told you, if you desire is to participate in the graduation ceremony, there are certain conditions that must be met."

Kaiba wanted to make it known that he had no desire to take part in the stupid graduation ceremony at all. He viewed it as another waste of time if he were to be blatantly honest about it. Unfortunately for him, Mokuba wanted to attend the ceremony, see his brother in a cap and gown, receive his high school diploma-forget the fact that he doesn't need it-and take loads of pictures with his camera phone. Kaiba had attempted to get out of it beforehand, but Mokuba had made his case, which all in all, really gave the older brother no choice. The last thing he wanted was to disappoint his younger brother. Their real parents weren't alive to see Kaiba graduate, but that didn't mean that Mokuba couldn't witness the event all parents wanted to see for their kids. After all, when Mokuba was ready to graduate from high school, Kaiba would probably act in the same manner.

But aside from that, there was also the fact that he was the valedictorian of the class, which meant he had a speech to deliver to his fellow students. Yet another waste of time and energy, but Kaiba held no choice in that matter either because of tradition.

Sometimes it really sucked to be a genius.

"Just what kind of conditions are we talking about here," Joey questioned, glancing around. "And just where are we anyway?"

Yuuko raised her gaze to the greying sky. "We are in my home dimension. The date here is April 4th, 1999."

"You mean we've traveled to the past!" Joey exclaimed, his chocolate brown eyes widening in shock. "How?"

Kaiba shook his head. "Do you really expect us to buy this?"

Yuuko laughed at them, her gaze still on the sky. "Come now, you two are no stranger to time travel or magic. A year prior the two of you both traveled back to ancient Egypt and assisted Pharoah Atem in saving the past and present of your dimension. Obviously if you can come together to achieve this, you can fulfil the mission I have for you," She chuckled again, settling her gaze back on them, "unless you want to repeat your senior year."

"Repeat senior year!" Joey screeched. "I can't do that!"

Kaiba's eyebrows twitched slightly. That was a waste he definitely couldn't afford. Besides, if this ended up being a convoluted sugar induced nightmare, there would be no real harm done to his sanity. "Very well then, just what is this so called mission?"

"I'm pleased that you ask Mr. Kaiba," Yuuko replied, her voice seemingly mocking him as she turned away from the two teens. "Follow me. My subordinates have left this place to complete some errands for me. It's too bad that they can't be here to witness this."

Joey and Kaiba reluctantly followed Yuuko, keeping their gazes forward and away from each other as they did. After crossing the bridge they climbed onto the deck. With steady hands Yuuko opened the sliding door and walked into the house briskly, her hair swaying as she turned to face the two of them.

"Wait in here," she ordered, pointing towards a small sitting area equipped with a two black sofas,a white armchair, and a black marble coffee table. The walls and carpet floors were a pale blue, off-setting the furniture a bit. Behind the sitting area was a small kitchen that held plain appliances and none of the conveniences our futuristic duo had come to know.

"This seems cozy," Joey muttered, taking a seat on the sofa. Kaiba said nothing, opting to sit in the armchair directly across from the sofa.

Yuuko came back into the room, holding a crystal ball in one hand and red dice in the other. "Would either you like a cup of tea?"

Joey shrugged, watching as she placed the two items on the table "Sure."

Kaiba shook his head. He wasn't about to drink anything this crazy lady made.

"Very well, one tea coming up," she stated, stalking into the kitchen. She reached into a canister that held some herbs.

After finishing up the brew of tea, Yuuko poured it into a white porcelain teacup and set it on the coffee table. Joey was wary at first, staring at the liquid before lifting the fine china from the table. He sniffed it a bit and after another moment of hesitance, finally took a sip.

"Wow," he breathed, smiling as he took another sip. "This tastes really good."

"Thank you, it's my special mint tea. The leaves are infused with a magic that will help you think clearly..."

"That's assuming that Wheeler can think at all," Kaiba interjected, smirking at his own quip.

Joey glared at him. "Do you have a tea that'll stop him from talking?"

Yuuko chuckled, taking a seat on the other black sofa. "The tea your drinking now will also increase your patience level. In order to complete this mission, you and Kaiba will have to settle your differences and work together."

"Yeah, like that's gonna happen," Joey remarked, taking another sip of the tea. "Thanks for the effort anyway."

"You two will work together," her gaze shifted from Joey to Kaiba, "if you want to return to your home world."

Kaiba narrowed his gaze on the items on the table. "How about we get down to business then. I have a company to run and can't afford to stay here all day."

Crimson eyes bored into his sapphire orbs. "This journey will not be an easy one. I am sending you back to a time far less advanced than even this one. All travel is done either by walking, by carriage, or by boat. The pace of your journey won't be quick by any means. What's worse is that you have a time window of one month to complete your task."

"But graduation is one week from tomorrow," Joey pointed out.

"Yes, that's true," Yuuko answered, "but I can stall time in your world, granting you with just enough time to complete the mission. It shouldn't take more than a week in your world to complete it. However..." she trailed off for a moment, pausing to contemplate her next words.

Kaiba clenched his fists, his patience wearing thin. "However what?"

"Should you fail, you'll remain trapped in the past...forever..."

Joey spit out the tea he'd just been drinking, choking and hacking for a good minute before he could respond.

"For...forever!?"

"Forever."

Kaiba definitely didn't like the sound of that. The idea of being stuck anywhere with Wheeler for a month was upsetting enough, but being trapped forever with him...he may as well have been sent to the fiery pits of the underworld. Repeating senior year didn't sound nearly as loathsome in comparison.

"To avoid this punishment," Yuuko began, "succeed in your mission."

"You still haven't bothered to tell us what our so-called "mission" is yet," Kaiba blurted, resting his clenched hands in his lap. "Get to the point already."

Joey rolled his eyes. "She was getting to it Kaiba, just lay off!"

"I wasn't talking to you Wheeler!"

Yuuko shook her head. "I'm honestly worried about this, but what's done is done." She turned away, stalking back into the kitchen to make another cup of tea for Kaiba. Clearly he was going to need it.

"The mission is as follows," she started, pouring the brew into another porcelain cup. She came back into the room and placed the cup in front of Kaiba. He was reluctant about touching it, but Yuuko made it clear with a glare that she wasn't going to say anything more until he took a sip.

"Fine," he muttered, taking a huge gulp of the stuff before slamming the cup onto the table. "Happy!"

"Very much so," Yuuko answered, sarcasm clear in her voice. She definitely wasn't fond of Kaiba at the moment, but he wasn't concerned with that. He was still fairly certain that he was having a crazy nightmare. Of course, he took slight comfort in the fact that it was pretty mild compared to the ones he was accustomed to having.

"The mission is as follows," she repeated, clearing her throat a bit as she sat down again. "I will be sending you to the year 1519 of this dimensional realm. Once you arrive you are to locate a map to a city called Eldorado."

"Eldorado?" Joey questioned. "Sounds mexican. Do we eat it?"

Kaiba sighed irritably. "She just said that Eldorado is a city you idiot." He groaned again. "I'm willing to bet that food is all you ever think about."

"Can it, Kaiba!"

The brunette just rolled his eyes. "Eldorado is the lost city of gold, correct?"

"Correct, but in this realm, there is a map that leads directly to the city," Yuuko stated. "Once you find the map, you must follow it to the city. When you arrive there, you must find the answer to the following riddle."

Joey groaned, his brown eyes losing their usual splendor. "Not a riddle."

Kaiba kept his gaze on Yuuko, choosing to ignore Joey's immaturity as she began her riddle.

"The true treasure of the journey is not of gold or glory. To return from whence you came, seek the treasure amist these things. Seek the treasure not easily seen. Find the treasure of Eldorado and the path home will be made clear."

"Sounds more like an epic poem than a riddle," Kaiba stated, smirking slightly. "It shouldn't be too difficult to figure out."

Yuuko returned the smirk. "We shall see." She glanced between the two teens. "It will be interesting to watch your progress." She rose from the sofa. To help on your journey I have placed these items before you." With her right hand she gestured toward the red dice first. "These loaded dice will ensure you win any gambling matches you find yourselves participating in." She grabbed the dice and tossed them at Kaiba. He easily caught them in his hands.

"Gambling matches?" Joey questioned, raising his eyebrows as his gaze narrowed on the witch. "Hold on, what does gambling..."

"You will see," Yuuko interrupted, moving her left hand towards the crystal ball. It rose from off the table, landing into her hand. After a few seconds it began to glow in her hand, transforming until it became a white and pink feather.

She held it out towards Joey. "This is will safeguard the two of you and help along your journey. I want you to hold onto it Joey for you have the purity of heart to tap into its full power."

"That thing is supposed to protect us?" Joey questioned, watching as Yuuko drew closer to him. His body tensed as she let the feather drift away from her hand, floating towards him. Seconds later the feather glowed brightly, blinding Joey and Kaiba as it disappeared into the blonde's body.

Yuuko extended both her hands out and closed her eyes. "Best of luck on your journey my children.

"Wait, hold on a second!" Joey shouted, his eyes squinting open as he staggered to his feet. "We're leaving now?"

"The sooner the better," Kaiba muttered, opting to stay in place as he tried to peek through the blinding light that continued to surround them

Yuuko's body started to glow. "Remember, you have one month to complete your journey." With a wave of her hands a gust of wind circled around the two teens, the magic of the feather zapping both of them away.

* * *

_And so our unlikely heroes travel through time and space for a new adventure, both unaware of the dangers that await them. Their hearts will be tested and secrets of their true nature will be revealed. In order to succeed in their mission and return to Domino, they will have resolve their differences, work as a team, and save a city that history has destroyed to uncover the true treasures they seek._

* * *

A/N: And that ends the chapter! This one is somewhat of a short filler to bring about the main plot that's coming in the next chapter. Not much humor in this chapter either, but I plan on bringing it in next time. Get ready! It's coming fast! If you like it, review it!


	3. To the New World Part 1

A/N: Hello everyone. Now it's time to bring in the main plot! Are you guys ready? I hope you are, because from here, everything is going to be really fast paced. This chapter is going filled with big twists and turns, so get some popcorn or candy prepare for an awesome and extraordinary show! Big thanks to SuperNova 23 and Light Sakura for your reviews. You guys rule! Thanks for all of the support. And thanks to the rest of my readers as well.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Yu-Gi-Oh series and anything taken from The Road to Eldorado for this story does not belong to me either. This is just a fan based fictional piece.

Chapter 3

To the New World Part 1

Spain 1519

The bells of the many cathedrals in the small port city of Seville had just tolled, signaling noon throughout the bustling streets. The sky was a bright blue, barely a cloud present as the sun brilliantly shined. Men and women ran through the winding streets, spreading gossip and yelling about a voyage Hernán Cortés was taking at midnight. The voices hushed as the conquistador, followed by many of his men, passed through on horseback and on foot.

Around this time is when an inconspicuous hole opened in the sky. Our two protagonists fell out from the small gap, screaming loudly as they landed smack in the middle Seville's largest marketplace.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaah!"

"SMACK!"

Dust billowed into the air after Joey and Kaiba crashed through a pile of wooden crates. An old man rushed to the scene, yelling angrily about the damage done to the precious provisions he meant to sell the the sailors traveling through.

"Aw, man," Joey groaned, his chocloate eyes rolling round and round as stars danced around his head. "That landing definitely could have been smoother."

Kaiba groaned loudly, his head throbbing from the impact. "The only way that it could have been smoother for me is if you had died from it."

"Okay, that's just plain cruel man..."

"Hey!"

The two boys finally turned to gaze at the seething man. Said man was about to start ranting about his damaged goods, but his attention shifted as Cortés riding his prized horse Altivo, rounded the corner. Joey and Kaiba were too busy recovering to follow the man's gaze.

"I'll deal with you two later," he muttered, running off to join the crowd gathering at the edge of the street. Kaiba and Joey shrugged, slowly removing themselves from the rubble of the crates.

"Well, I guess we're here," Joey stated, dusting himself off as he glanced at the stone buildings around them. "Of course, it'd be nice to know where here is."

Kaiba rolled his sapphire eyes, taking in his surroundings and the attire of the citizens. "Figuring out where we are will have to wait until another time." He glanced down at his school uniform. "Like this we stick out too much. We need to find something more suited for the time we're in..."

"Which is when?" Joey interrupted, still taking in the rugged architecture of the buildings. "I certainly can't tell. It sure is hot though. I could use some water right about now, and a pizza would be nice too. Do you think there are any pizza shops around?"

A vein threatened to pop out of Kaiba's head. "Will you focus!" he shouted, inadvertently causing people to stop and stare back at them, including Cortés and his massive entourage of sailors and soldiers. "Putting food into your hollow stomach is not going to solve our problems."

"Yelling at me isn't gonna help either rich-boy!" Joey fired back, clenching his fists at his sides, " Ms. Yuuko said that we're gonna have to work together to get back home."

Kaiba scoffed, turning up his nose as he addressed the prevalent thorn in his side. "Please, I can handle this just fine alone. I don't need your help. Just keep out of my way."

Joey growled while clenching his fists at his sides. "Kaiba, that attitude is the reason we're here at all. If we have any hope of getting home we need to at least agree on something!"

"How about we agree for you to shut up and just follow my lead?"

"Maybe you should be the one to stop talking," Joey argued, glaring at his greatest adversary. "Besides, it's not like I'm gonna do anything you say!"

"Wheeler!"

"Money-bags!"

"Hey! Aren't those two the bandits?"

Joey and Kaiba halted their argument for a moment. Their gazes turned toward the crowd of people who had gathered around them during their heated exchange. At the forefront of the crowd, the old man from earlier was holding up a wanted poster. The two teens both stared at it in awe, both of them completely flabbergasted when they read the names listed underneath their pictures.

"Miguel?" Joey questioned, looking completely lost.

"Tulio?" Kaiba echoed, his expression equally perplexed. "What the heck is that about?"

"Yeah, those are the bandits," another man shouted, stepping forward. "There's a pretty high bounty on the two of them."

"High bounty?" Joey questioned, stepping backward as he read the price tag on their heads. One hundred doubloons...whatever that was. "Aw, man, I definitely don't like the sound of this." He turned toward Kaiba. "Tell me you have a plan."

Kaiba nodded. "I always have a plan Wheeler. Unlike you, I can actually think on my feet..."

"Can we save the insults for later," Joey cut in, his nerves skyrocketing as some city guards began to draw near from the edges of the street. His eyebrows knitted together as he took more steps backward. "Just tell me what the plan is!"

"Fine," Kaiba muttered, smirking slightly as he started to retreat as well. "You try to reason with them."

"Reason with them?"

"Talk us out of trouble mongrel."

Joey nodded briskly, oblivious to Kaiba's continuing steps backward. "Yeah, and..."

"And I'll..."

Joey clenched his fists again, wishing the jerk would just hurry up and tell him what his plan was.

"RUN!"

Run? Joey had to check his ears to make sure he heard right. Did Seto Kaiba, the man who never, EVER backs down, just suggest..._running away_?

"_No, that couldn't possibly happen. I must have heard wrong. There's just no way..._"

The thought trailed off when Joey turned to look behind him. Kaiba was a good twenty feet away, dust trailing behind him as he ran like the wind.

"Get them!"

"Aaaaaah!" Joey's screams echoed into the air as he bolted into a sprint down the alleyway Kaiba had disappeared in, pure adrenaline pushing him forward as guards followed behind him. After a minute or so of running, the blonde was able to catch up to Kaiba's longer strides.

"I can't believe you tricked me like that!"

Kaiba didn't answer, deciding instead to focus on running as fast as he could. He wasn't afraid of the guards, but this was a different world from what he and Joey were accustomed to. At this point, the best thing to do is not get caught by any means.

"Don't let them get away!"

"Turn them in and get the bounty!"

Joey glanced back again and nearly passed out upon seeing how close the crowd was to catching them. "Kaiba, I swear, if we get out of this I'm going to kill you."

"Likewsie," Kaiba muttered, picking up the pace a little more. "After all, you're the reason we're in this mess to begin with."

"Oh, don't start with that again!" Joey snarled, willing himself to keep running even though his lungs were practically on fire. "You're always blaming other people for your problems. You ever think that some things might be your own fault?"

For one reason or another, the words struck the young C.E.O. To a certain extent, Joey's words were true. He blamed Gozoboro for his cold and stoic nature, blamed his parents for dying, (as if they could control that), he blamed Pegasus for all the events that took place at Duelist Kingdom, Marik for ruining his Battle City tournament, Dartz for ruining his reputation during the Oricalcos crisis, Zigfried for being...well Zigfried, and any other problem he faced...he attempted to place the blame on someone or something else.

There were few things Seto Kaiba blamed himself for, but those few things put more weight on his shoulders than anything else. He placed guilt on himself for losing his title to Yugi, both before Duelist Kingdom and at the end of his own tournament. He loathed that he still held a fear of Gozoboro despite him being dead and gone. Most of all though, he placed blame on himself for the pain Mokuba had to face during his takeover of Kaiba Corp. all those years ago.

He could still remember the shocked look in his younger brother's grey eyes when he slammed him against the wall, calling him a traitor when all along he knew the truth of the situation. Like it or not, he used Mokuba and his emotions to win against their ruthless step-father. At the time, he believed there had been no other choice, no other options to fall back on. However, the key to winning any game is knowing that there are multiple ways to win if you play your cards correctly.

At the time, he believed he'd been driven into a corner by Gozoboro's wickedness. All the beatings and experiments he had lived through had taken their toll. A single thread snapping was all it was going to take for his sanity to break at the time. He'd been pushed to the very edge of his limits, the trauma experienced forcing him to do the unthinkable: betray his own flesh and blood.

Kaiba shook away the thoughts. The past was over and he couldn't change any of the things that happened. But if he could...

"Focus on running Wheeler," he said finally, his voice sounding hoarse in his ears. "Just keep running."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later

Eventually, Joey and Kaiba managed to lose the crazy lunatics aiming to catch them. Presently, the two of them are crouching in a dark alleyway, trying to catch their breaths.

"My lungs...are on fire," Joey breathed, leaning back against one of the stone walls. "I feel like we've just ran thirty miles."

Kaiba focused on breathing as he sat down on the ground. The sooner he caught his breath the better.

Another five minutes passed with the two of them attempting to catch their breaths after the extended chase through the town. At this point, neither of them know when or where they are.

"Wheeler," Kaiba gasped out finally, throwing his left arm over his knees, "I'll agree...to a temporary truce."

Joey sucked in a shaky breath. "A truce, huh? What's with...the change of heart all of a sudden?"

"Don't question my motives Wheeler," Kaiba replied, rising up to his feet. "I'm stuck with you until I wake up."

Joey couldn't help but laugh at that. "You still thinking all this is a hocus pocus mind trick?"

Kaiba nodded, though the certainty of his answer didn't reach his eyes. "It's the only rational explanation at this point."

"I wish this were a crazy nightmare," Joey stated. His chocolate gaze softened a bit as terrible memories from his childhood flashed before his eyes. "_I wish a lot of things in my life were just nightmares._"

The blonde jumped up to his feet, stretching his arms over his head and smiling his widest smile. "Oh well! Nightmare or not, we've gotta figure all this out so...I'll agree to this truce. Just quit talking down to me, alright. You've made it clear that you hate my guts. The feeling is mutual, so let's just leave it at that."

"Fair enough," Kaiba agreed, turning his gaze toward the end of the alleyway. "We need to disguise ourselves. For one reason or another, we have a pair of look-alikes running around this town. If we have any hope of finding this map to Eldorado, we'll have to blend in better."

Joey followed Kaiba's gaze. As luck would have it, their look-alikes were walking right past the alleyway, smiling and laughing with each other like best friends would. Joey's look-alike, Miguel, wore a dark green, quarter length sleeved, collared shirt with a thin black vest over it, grass-green cargo Capri pants with thick beige stocking socks and brown dress shoes. Miguel's hair was a bit darker in color, his eyes were an emerald-green instead of brown, and a five o'clock shadow was present on his face. Kaiba's look-alike, Tulio, wore a navy blue scoop neck shirt. The sleeves of the shirt were puffed out a bit, making him look a bit more muscular. He also wore khaki Capri pants with a black leather belt, beige stocking socks, and black dress shoes. Tulio's hair was jet black instead of Kaiba's chestnut-brown and he had a goatee, making him look a little bit older.

"They called us bandits...so our look-alikes are known for taking what doesn't belong to them." A smirk lifted the corners of Joey's mouth as he continued to watch the strange pair pass. "It might be a good idea to give the two of them a taste of their own medicine."

"That's...a good idea," Kaiba stated, nearly choking on the words as he spoke. Joey smiled, appreciating his attempt at a compliment.

With a nod towards the other, Joey and Kaiba snuck out of the alleyway and followed behind the look-alikes, making sure to keep out of sight as much as possible until the time came to strike.

They watched as the look-alike duo traveled down a deserted street off the main road, crouching behind barrels on the outskirts of the street. Kaiba nodded toward Joey, motioning that he should go on the offensive first. Joey replied with a nod, figuring that Kaiba had crafted another plan. Without a single word he rushed in, working to keep his movements silent as he came upon the two look-alikes.

"_I'm going to enjoy this_," he thought smiling broadly as he targeted Kaiba's look-alike.

Tulio turned, hearing the light sound Joey's footsteps made. His gaze widened, but he didn't have time to react as Joey sent a swift punch to his jaw. Tulio flew backward into the dirt, yelling out in pain. Miguel tried attacking next, but Kaiba grabbed his wrist the second he reeled his fist backwards. After that, Kaiba slammed his knee into Miguel's stomach. An involuntary gasp fell from his lips as Kaiba banged Miguel's head against the stone wall, knocking him out on impact.

"That felt good," he stated gruffly, smirking as Joey continued to beat the crap out of Tulio. If anything, the look-alikes served as great outlets for the pent-up aggression the two teens held for each other.

Fifteen minutes later, Joey and Kaiba emerged from the deserted area wearing the clothes of the bandits.

"Man, these stockings are itchy," Joey complained, using the heel of one of his newly attained shoes to scratch the itchy spot on his ankle, "and hot to boot. If we wear this stuff for too long we'll die of heat stroke."

"Don't be concerned with that," Kaiba muttered, dragging along the unconscious forms of their look-alikes that were clothed in their school uniforms. "Is there a decent place nearby where we can ditch these two?"

Joey looked around, scanning the area. There were a few civilians walking about on the road, some stopping at shops and restaurants. Others traveled into small apartments made of yellow stone bricks. After another moment of scanning the area, Joey caught sight of some guards in his peripheral vision, headed their way.

"How about we dump them here," he suggested, nodding his head toward he approaching guards. "They'll find these two and put them in jail where they belong while we walk free."

"Very well, sounds reasonable enough." Kaiba chuckled. "You know Wheeler, I may have underestimated you a bit. You're quite resourceful...for an idiot."

The blonde groaned. "I thought you weren't going to talk down to me anymore rich-boy."

"I wasn't talking down to you." The brunette turned away, leaving the two lugs behind as he walked down the deserted street. "I was giving you a compliment..."

"And a backhanded insult," Joey finished, rolling his eyes as he followed behind his forced accomplice. He let out a sigh. This was definitely going to be a strain on his sanity, but there was nothing he could do to change the situation, except to find the treasure to Eldorado as soon as possible.

"Did you find anything useful in the pockets of your clothes Wheeler?" Kaiba asked, cutting into his thoughts. Joey shook his head in response. "I don't think so." He pulled out the thin piece of paper he found in his pocket earlier. "Just this address and a time..."

Kaiba stopped abruptly, which caused Joey to ram right into him.

"Gah! Kaiba!"

The taller teen turned, his sapphire gaze glowering as he stared down at the blonde. "This is why I call you an idiot." He snatched the piece of paper out of Joey's hand. "This definitely doesn't classify as nothing Wheeler! This could be an important clue! You should have said something as soon as you found it." He let out an exasperated sigh, stalking forward again.

"Well sorry!" Joey snarled, grumbling as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "It's not my fault that the authoress just randomly threw that in. Her giant writing kick is slowing down you know. She isn't thinking clearly."

Kaiba's expression deadpanned as he stopped once more. Joey bumped into him again, the impact sending him soaring backward on to the paved ground this time.

"Gah! What the heck! Stop that!" At this rate he was probably going to break his butt bone or something similiar, but it was clear to Joey that Kaiba wasn't at all concerned about whether he got hurt or not. Oh no, all the guy cares about is his precious little company and his brother. Seriously, you'd think the guy had a weird fetish or something.

"Wheeler, do you realize what you've done?"

Joey scratched the back of his head, contemplating the words he had spoken earlier. It wasn't long until his mistake dawned on him.

"Oh..."

"That's right," Kaiba cut in, a vein threatening to bust from his skull again. "You toppled the fourth wall Wheeler. Do you have any concept of how dangerous that is?"

"Of course I do," Joey lied.

"No you don't," the taller teen argued, "if you had known you wouldn't have done it. See what I mean now? The reason why I keep calling you an idiot is because you ARE an idiot!"

Joey frowned, his gaze falling to the paved ground beneath him. His mind drifted to the past, thinking of all the failed tests and bad homework scores. He was great at dueling and all, but most kids could play the game and at the end of the day, that's all Duel Monsters was...a game. Maybe the reason why he failed all those tests wasn't just because he lacked ambition. Maybe he really was an idiot.

He clenched his fists, an odd emotion between shame and fury rising within him. "I guess so Kaba. I guess I am...an idiot."

Kaiba blinked in surprise. That response was unusual to say the least. He'd been expecting the usual violent tongue lashing Joey Wheeler dished out when he insulted him, but...well that reaction was definitely unexpected. For a moment the brunette almost questioned whether he should retract the statement.

Key word there is "almost".

Joey sighed heavily, like a heavy burden had descended on his shoulders as he rose up to his feet. "There are a lot of things about my life I wish I could change, but wishing doesn't bring about change. The past is over and there's no way to undo it. Even if I could...I wouldn't change anything." He smiled a bit, doing his best to chase away the many doubts that filled his mind. "I'm not the smartest guy, but I'm pretty blessed. I've been able to survive terrible circumstances with the help of my friends, but I also found the strength within myself to stand up on my own. So, no matter what you or anyone else may think of me, even if a small part of me believes some of those things, I'm gonna hold my head high, Kaiba. I am who I am. Idiot or not, I'm Joey Wheeler, and I don't wanna be anybody else."

There were no words exchanged as Joey completely passed by him, leaving the brunette...for lack of a better term, shocked.

But there was no time to allow the feelings of shock to settle and fester into guilt. Kaiba wouldn't allow it. His purpose here was to get back to Domino, graduate, and continue on with life as he normally would without the geek squad trailing him. Life would be better, simpler with all them out of his life.

Though he wished it at times, Kaiba knew that he would never be able to repeat the words Joey had spoken. Outwardly, he was charismatic, stoic, calm, and a concrete wall of dominance and power to all who opposed him. However, on the inside he was a sham, completely and irrevocably lost because he didn't know who to be. He was caught between two different personas of himself, who he was as a child and who he became under Gozoboro's horrific influence.

Somewhere in between lied the true Seto Kaiba, but it was doubtful that he would ever find that middle ground. He wasn't sure he wanted to either. To travel to that middle ground was to expose himself to emotion, to pain, to the traumas of his past. He wasn't certain he could survive the latter of those three things. His nightmares of the past were enough by themselves.

As for Joey, he found his own thoughts traveling to dark paths, paths eerily similar to that of his rival. He thought of his father's abuse towards his mother, the divorce, his separation from Serenity, and every other trauma he had ever faced in his short life. Most people would have fallen apart under the pressure. He probably would have if not for all of his friends supporting him.

Nonetheless, the time for goodbyes was swiftly approaching, which meant that Joey would be on his own once again.

Even so, Joey and Kaiba were both determined to leave those thoughts behind to fulfil this mission. The sooner it was over, the better off they'd be.

* * *

A/N: That ends the chapter! You know, instead of humor, I'm starting to think that this is turning into an adventure, drama. What do you guys think? I don't know. In any case, I hope you guys were able to enjoy this chapter. The next one will really bring about the action and maybe some more comedy! Thanks for taking the time to read this. Hope you all enjoy the rest of your day.


	4. To the New World Part 2

A/N: Hello again everyone! Now it is time to bring about the next one! This is going to bring about comedy as well as action. I hope you guys like it! Thanks for the support!

Note: Really long chapter ahead. We're talking over 8,000 words.

Special note: This chapter is dedicated to Light-Sakura and SuperNova 23. Both of you have continued to support my work over and over again. Thank you very much. I hope God will continue to bless you both. Now, let's get onto the awesome chapter at hand.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh, anything related to Yu-gi-oh, or anything related to The Road to Eldorado. This is a fan-based work of fanfiction art and nothing more.

Chapter 4

To the New World Part 2

The sun was still high in the sky. In the streets of the port town of Seville, men and women walked about, talking and handling business while children ran aimlessly through the streets with dolls or with wooden swords. There was excitement in the air, for rumors of a fantastic voyage to the New World in hopes of conquering the legendary city of gold, Eldorado, were circulating through the streets of the small town.

As Kaiba and Joey walked silently through the streets, the news spread to them. They took it in, but their attention was locked on the slip of paper Joey had found on Miguel's person earlier that day. From what was listed, the two of them had concluded that they were in Seville, which Kaiba revealed to be a port city in southern Spain. When news of Hernán Cortés surfaced, Kaiba was able to piece together the time period they were in as well. Yuuko, the dimensional witch, had sent the two of them to the 16th century, only a good two decades having passed since Columbus discovered the Americas.

"We should be coming upon the area soon," Kaiba stated, his sapphire gaze narrowing on the paper as a bit of sweat rolled down his brow. The heat truly was unbearable, but the young C.E.O. wasn't about to start complaining like his companion had been doing for the last hour. He had known worse discomforts in his life.

Joey rubbed his forearm across his forehead, wincing when he noted how damp it had become on contact. His mouth had gone dry over the last thirty minutes of walking through the street, the sun seemingly becoming hotter and hotter each passing second.

"We need water," he stated, repeating his revelation from ten minutes earlier, dragging his feet as he began to pant slightly. "We'll eventually cave to the heat if we don't get our hands on some."

Kaiba nodded, seeing their destination up ahead. It was a small outdoor cafe named, La Casa Amigo, or The Friend's House. Glancing down at the paper and the street sign, he addressed his companion. "This cafe should serve water. However...it's not going to be free."

"What? Are you cheap all of a sudden?" Joey questioned, his pace slowing even further. "Come on man, you own a company. Certainly you carry some cash on you."

"Paper money...American currency in general is no good here Wheeler," Kaiba pointed out, fighting against the insult that wanted to slip out of his mouth. "This is 16th century Spain. If we plan on buying anything, we're going to need Doubloons."

"Doubloons?"

"That's the currency here," Kaiba answered, his pace beginning to slow as they came to the cafe. "They're special issue gold coins, they're value double regular gold coins or pesetas as they're called in this area."

Joey's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Okay...so how are we supposed to get them?"

Kaiba held up the piece of paper as he sat down at an empty table. "The same way the bandits would have; we gamble."

The blonde took a seat across from him. "I'm not sure if I like the sound of that." His mind brought up the image of his father for a moment, but Joey was quick to dismiss it. "Besides, we've got nothing to bet with."

"We might not need to," Kaiba stated, placing the paper on the table. "This was folded at first, the outside stating the time and place to meet, but when opened it reads this..." he trailed off, sliding the small bit of parchment across the tabletop. Joey picked it up, his brown eyes quickly scanning the words.

"Bring the money you owe us or else," Joey read aloud, his stomach tightening in anxiety. "Something tells me we don't want to know what that or else is."

Kaiba shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "There's no need to be concerned over that. I have a plan."

"What, we're gonna run screaming like last time?" Joey asked, smirking at Kaiba's annoyance. "By the way, has anyone ever told you that you run like a girl."

"I..." Kaiba growled, his fists clenching atop the table. "You scream like a girl Wheeler so what's your point?"

Joey frowned again, sighing out in defeat. "We're doomed."

"Speak for yourself," the brunette replied, his attention slightly diverted by sounds of low chuckles. He glared behind his shoulder for a moment, his gaze locking on three familiar faces he thought he would never see again.

"What's up?" Joey asked, noting the look of resigned shock on Kaiba's face. When the brunette didn't answer, Joey turned in his chair slightly, following his gaze. Upon seeing the three figures standing across the bustling street, he nearly fell out of his seat.

"How, how..." he trailed off, unable to fathom how it was possible.

Across the street, waiting for the traffic of carriages to clear were the three duelists of the Doma biker gang. In other words, these were the punks from the Oricalcos madness that had nearly brought about the end of the world...for the hundredth or so time. They turned out to actually be pretty nice guys who just lost their way in life, but even so...seeing them in 16th century Spain came as a massive shock.

What made it all the more shocking was the fact that these guys looked like they'd just come off from a pirate ship.

The tallest member of the group, Raphael wore a loose sleeveless scoop-neck maroon shirt with a thin black vest over it and khaki colored cargo pants. His smile was wide, revealing a gold tooth, yes you read right folks, a gold tooth. He was also sporting a five o'clock shadow around his mouth and cheeks, making him look a bit weird to say the least. Raphael's arms were more muscular than what Joey and Kaiba were accustomed to seeing, making him look rather intimidating.

The red head, Alister, wore a red long-sleeved collared shirt and black cargo pants. Over one of his grey eyes was a black eye-patch, easily giving off that "pirate" look though he was far from actually being one. He was scowling, his arms crossed over his chest as he sized Joey and Kaiba up with his one eye.

Valon, the last and shortest member of the group, stood in between his two partners. He was smiling broadly, his white teeth threatening to blind anyone who came too close. His blue eyes sparkled with the same intensity, reflecting mischief as well as amusement as his gaze locked on our two heroes. His brown hair was a spiky mess atop his head, showing off a carefree side to him, but attached to his hip was a brown revolver gun rimmed in gold, making it clear that he was dangerous. He wore a black short-sleeved collared shirt and a teal blue vest over it with brown cargo shorts that hit just above his knees.

When the street traffic lessened, the three men began their trek across the street.

"Kaiba...Yuuko didn't say those guys would be here!" Joey exclaimed. "I guess it's nice to see some friendly faces though..."

"Yuuko didn't say a lot of things Wheeler," Kaiba interrupted, slowly rising to his feet. "She said nothing about us having look-alikes or anyone we know being in this world too. Plus, by the look on Alister's face, I'd say their intentions are anything but friendly."

Joey rose up as well. "There's also this fact; we're dressed like Miguel and Tulio, which means their objective..."

"Is to get the money they came for," Kaiba finished, narrowing his gaze on the three men. "But, if all goes according to plan we'll be the ones walking away with the gold."

"What makes you think that'll happen?"

Kaiba dug into the pocket of his pants and retrieved the red dice Yuuko had given him. "These dice are loaded. If we bet on a game of dice, there's no way for us to lose. We'll win money, buy some provisions, and possibly gather some information on Cortés and his upcoming voyage. If we manage to stowaway on his vessel, we'll find ourselves in Eldorado in no time at all. We won't even need the map."

Joey nodded, his expression reflecting his doubt. "I see where you're getting at, but how are you gonna convince those guys to play a game of dice? We owe them money now."

"Leave that to me," Kaiba answered, turning to fully face the approaching figures. It wasn't long before Valon spoke.

"Greetings fellows!" he shouted, raising his arms above his head as the smile on his boyish face widened. "My has it been a while good sirs."

"Greetings to you as well," Kaiba began, motioning Joey with his eyes to stay silent. "How have you been?"

"My travels with Captain Cortés are never easy, but they are always full of fun," Valon stated. "No challenge is too great for Baron Santiago! I laugh at the face of danger."

Joey's brown eyes narrowed. "You haven't changed Va...Baron."

Kaiba inwardly groaned. "_That mutt never listens._"

Baron laughed, shrugging his shoulders. "You two haven't met my partners yet, have ya?" He extended his arms out. "This is Raphael Gomez," he began, motioning to Raphael, "and this here is David Grant, the only Brit daring enough to join us in our aim to make a fool out of Henry VIII."

"I despise him," David, the Alister look-alike, clarified. "I don't care for Spaniards, but I'll do what I must to ensure my revenge against that barbarian."

"Oooh, scary," Baron droned, chuckling slightly as he redirected his attention towards Joey and Kaiba. "So, Tulio, Miguel, did you bring the gold like I asked? The vessel sets sail at midnight and I'd rather settle all of my business before taking off for the New World once again."

"Fair enough," Kaiba stated, "a deal is a deal."

Joey glanced worriedly at him. "_What the heck is he thinking?_"

Kaiba chuckled. "Of course, don't you think we should settle this in our usual way?"

"Usual way?" Raphael questioned.

"You know what I'm referring to, don't you Baron?" Kaiba asked, his mind working frantically as he observed the short leader of the group. "_Please, let him take the bait._"

After a moment or so, Baron's lips turned up in a smirk. "You saying we should play a dice game? Well, I'm up for it ol' friend, but can you afford to lose? After all, that's how we ended up here in the first place."

"There's nothing I can't afford," Kaiba fired back, a smirk of his own spreading across his face. "If we lose, I pay double of what the two of us already owe, understand?"

"What! Kai...Tulio!"

"Perfectly," Baron replied, watching as Kaiba scowled, clenching his fingers over the red dice in his hand. "And if you win?"

"You drop our debt."

David rolled his eye. "These men are jokes Baron. We should just beat the money out of them."

Raphael chuckled. "I agree, beating these two will make for exceptional entertainment."

"Ci, it would, but I'd rather humiliate them," Baron told them, stepping forward. "Besides, when they lose, we'll get double of what they already owe us. It's a fools challenge, one I'll gladly accept."

Kaiba narrowed his gaze, barely aware of the civilians and sailors beginning to crowd around them. "Is that so?"

Joey glanced at the crowd, his nerves flying into the sky as Kaiba opened his hand once more.

"Ready?"

Baron crossed his arms over his chest. "Roll em'."

Kaiba clenched his hand again, shaking the dice while faking an expression of anxiety. Baron's wide grin was about to be wiped clean.

"Seven," he called out, tossing the dice onto the ground. The crowd watched, entranced as the dice hit the ground. The first die landed on a three. Seconds later the other landed on a four.

David and Raphael both gasped in surprise, but Baron merely shrugged, sighing. "Alright, your debt is clear." He was smirking again, "but since you did that so easily, why not test your luck? If you can roll seven again we'll give you half the cash we have on us."

Joey raised his fist in the air. "Yeah, you can take em'. Go for it Ka..." he trailed off for a second, "Tulio!" That was gonna take some getting used to. Even so, Joey could see that there was no possible way for Kaiba to fail. Thanks to Yuuko's gift, they were about to win enough money for all the food and water they'd need.

Two pairs of sapphire eyes locked as Kaiba once again shook the loaded dice within his hand. His stare was fixed, his stance stiff as if he were intensely focused. He could see that Baron was smarter than he let on. He wasn't going to fall for just a terror filled expression. For this roll, Kaiba took a bit longer, weighing the intellect of his opponent before tossing out the dice. This time the first die landed on five and the other landed on two.

The crowd gasped. David and Raphael began to complain, calling Baron a fool and other obscene names as they emptied their pockets. Baron said nothing, emptying his own pockets of half of the gold he had on him. Kaiba raised an eyebrow at this. Baron was acting too calm about losing half his cash.

"My partners are quite irritated with me now," Baron stated, snickering a bit when he took notice of Joey having a fiesta near the crowd.

Sometime during the game, the crazy blonde had picked up a small guitar from some random person and had started playing. The notes were a disjointed mess, but no one seemed to care all that much. They were caught up in the excitement of the game. Kaiba completely ignored the sound, mentally taking a note to kill Joey after all this was over.

"You can't possibly do it again though," Baron continued, choosing to ignore Joey and the music as well. "This time, if I'm wrong, you can have all our money."

David gasped, roughly grabbing at Baron's collar. "Are you mad!" He growled when Baron laughed in his face. "This is not a laughing matter! You should not play games with other people's money!"

"I agree," Raphael stated, cracking his knuckles. "I for one do not intend to let you get away with it."

Baron only chuckled, snatching away from David's grip as he stepped forward to address the man he believed to be Tulio. "Come now, what are you waiting for?"

Kaiba was sure that Baron was up to something. He was making this all too easy. At this point, he could deduce this much: one, Baron was reading into Tulio's nature, pushing him to keep going. Based on this, Kaiba could conclude that Tulio was known for being a greedy man. The smart thing to do from here would be to walk away with the cash he had already earned, but to do so would incite suspicion. Whatever Baron was planning, Kaiba could work around it without much effort.

He rolled the dice again, taking no time at all to toss out the dice. The result was seven once more.

Baron's lackeys were ready to snap his neck, but there was no reaction from the man. None at all.

"We win! We win! We win!" More dissonant notes echoed from the instrument. "Her name was Lola! She was a show girl! With yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there. She would merengue and do the cha-cha...and I don't know the words from here, but that's okay I'll just cheer, at the copa, copacabana..."

Kaiba rolled his eyes at Joey's antics. "_After this nightmare ends, I will see to him being placed in a mental institution." _

Baron's expression deadpanned for a moment. "Um...did Miguel injure his head recently?"

"You could say that," Kaiba replied, Joey's voice still ringing loud and proud.

"Well, in any case," Baron continued, sighing a bit. "We'll have one more roll..."

"You don't have anything left to bet with!" Joey interjected, abruptly stopping in his playing as he stalked up behind Kaiba. "It's over! Just leave the money and take your sorry behinds elsewhere."

Kaiba groaned, loudly this time. "Whee...Miguel...shut up."

Joey backed off a little, but not before sticking his tongue out at him.

"What are you betting?" Kaiba amended, focusing back on Baron and his angry compadres.

"I have this," Baron stated, reaching into the inside pocket of his vest. Seconds later he brought out a rolled up parchment of paper.

Kaiba and Joey's eyes both widened.

"This is the map to the wonders of the New World," Baron explained, his voice smooth as he spoke. "It's rumored that this map leads to the legendary city of gold."

"_That's the map_!" Joey thought, his eyes widening as he stepped toward Baron. "Let's have a look." He lifted his finger, tracing it over the paths of the map, his smile widening further as he mumbled out words. Kaiba crossed his arms over his chest, rolling his eyes as if uninterested. He was trying to fool the sailor in front of him, but Joey's display of excitement had pretty much blown any hope of that part of the plan succeeding.

Joey chuckled, snatching the map out of Baron's hands as he held it closer to his face. Kaiba turned away, ashamed.

"_This is ridiculous_," he thought, shaking his head over and over. "_Still, at least we've made some progress. Now we just have to..._"

"Tulio!" Joey exclaimed, catching Kaiba off guard when he grabbed his sleeve. Seconds later he found his head slamming into the thick paper, causing it to morph into the shape of his face for a moment.

_"As soon as the opportunity arrives I am beating the crap out of him_." Kaiba pulled back from the map, levelling his gaze on Baron. "Excuse us for a moment."

Joey straightened up the map so the two of them could examine it more closely. "Look at it Kaiba," he whispered, his smile so wide it was comical. "This is the map, right? This is the map to the city of gold, right?"

"Looks like it," Kaiba answered, glancing over the markings.

"I can't believe it." Joey's smile widened even further, that is, if such a feat is possible. He was smiling pretty wide to begin with. "Do you know what this means?"

"It means we're one step closer to going home..."

"No, not just that."

Kaiba snapped his gaze toward him. There was an odd look in Joey's brown eyes, one that caused great discomfort to the taller teen. "Enlighten me, Wheeler."

Joey's eyes gleamed. "Just think about it. A real map to a real city of gold. I know you've got all the money you could want, but as for me...wow, to get just a few pieces of gold from this place would have me set for life."

"We're not here for riches Wheeler..."

"Easy for you to say," Joey cut in, glaring daggers into him. "You've got money."

Kaiba shrugged. "Touché, but you realize as well as I do that the reason we came here was to find one treasure, take it to Yuuko, and get back to Domino before graduation and nothing more. You don't want to end up stuck in this time period do you?"

"Well no, but..."

"But nothing," Kaiba interrupted. "This isn't some twist of destiny or any kind of fate coming into play. If I believed in any of that I wouldn't be playing with loaded dice." He showed Joey the dice to emphasize his statement.

Seconds later Baron came, snatching the map away from them. "One more roll." He glanced between the two teens. "My map against your cash."

Kaiba began to shake the loaded dice in his hand, determined to get this last roll over with as soon as possible.

"Whoa, amigo!" Baron exclaimed, stopping Kaiba before he could make his dice roll. He reached into the inside pocket of his vest again and pulled out a pair of white dice. "How about we use my dice this time, huh?."

"_So that was his plan all along_," Kaiba thought, gritting his teeth.

Baron was grinning deviously now, showing off his teeth once more. "Do you have a problem with that, Tulio?"

Kaiba shook his head, placing his red dice back into the pocket of his pants. Without a shred of emotion he snatched the white dice out of Baron's hand. He glanced back at Joey, telling him with his eyes and a slashing motion across his own throat that he was going to kill the dense blonde for dragging him into this mess to begin with. If only he hadn't egged him on at school, none of this would be happening now.

Joey smiled sheepishly, shrugging in response to Kaiba's obvious threat.

Raphael and David both crossed their fingers, knowing that Baron had lost all sanity by betting the map he stole from Captain Cortes.

Baron smirked once more, uninhibited by fear, believing full heartedly that there was no way for him to lose. After all, he could see that our two heroes had been cheating the whole time. "Let the final game begin muchachos."

Joey took a deep breath, raising up his small guitar as Kaiba clenched the white dice in his hand.

Here goes everything.

Kaiba shook the die in his hands as Joey played a random melody on his small guitar. For once it actually sounded decent, but the music was making Kaiba feel the weight of the moment. His stomach started tying into knots, his breathing quickened slightly, and his hands began to sweat profusely.

"Come on," he muttered shaking the dice in his hand more than what was actually necessary, "we need the crappy map."

All the while, Joey was losing himself to the music, actually taking time to play flirtatiously for a woman who strongly resembled Mai Valentine. She shied away from him though, blinking her violet eyes in nonchalance in response to his playing.

Kaiba continued to roll the dice in his hands, the music blaring in his ears. He couldn't concentrate.

Joey stepped away from the woman, returning to where he'd been a few seconds earlier. The music rose in volume as he came closer to where Kaiba stood.

At this, Kaiba finally snapped. "Enough with the music already! Stop playing that stupid thing or so help me, I will shove it all the way down your throat!"

Everyone was left speechless for a long moment. Crickets chirped from...somewhere.

Joey swallowed, taking measured steps backward as Kaiba tried to calm his breathing. His eyes had turned blood-shot all of a sudden, the veins in his skull protruding through his skin as they throbbed. It was clear that the young C.E.O. was a thin thread away from an aneurism.

"Okay," Baron drawled out, dropping the map on the pile of gold between him and Kaiba. "Just...calm down and roll the dice."

Kaiba released a shaky breath as he spoke. "Fine." Closing his eyes he shook the dice in his hand one more time. "Give me seven..." he trailed off, tossing them out of his palms as he knelt on one knee. Whatever happened now was up to the heavenly father above.

Joey kept his eyes on the dice, watching as the first die landed on a three. The other continued to spin on its edge, the fate of their journey hanging in the balance as it went on and on. Baron and his partners sucked in a breath, waiting in anticipation as the die began to slow down.

Then finally, the die stopped and landed...on four.

All of the crowd gasped, causing Kaiba to hesitantly open his eyes. He stared at the dice, counting the number of dots on them. When they added up to seven, Kaiba blinked slowly, a ghost of a smile tugging the corners of his mouth. "It's seven...we won!"

"Alright!" Joey screamed, hopping up and down as he grabbed the map from off the pile of gold coins it had rested on.

Baron fell to his knees in shock, his two partners in crime gaping as laughs of hysteria escaped from Kaiba's lips. The young man reached out for the cash, scooping up what he could carry as more laughs echoed into the air. Anyone else would have called the dude plum crazy, but Kaiba held no concern over that. He was just happy, ecstatic that he was one step closer to going back where he belonged and one step closer to escaping the blonde menace named Joey Wheeler.

"Well, that ends that," Kaiba stated, scooping up more of the gold. "Nice doing business with you."

As Kaiba rose up from the ground, the red dice fell out from the pocket of his pants. When they landed, the dots added up to seven again. At seeing this, Barron crawled closer to them, beating the ground with one of his fists. This motion caused the die to rise up slightly. The dice flipped each time he did this, but the result was always the same. It always ended on seven.

"I knew it!"

Kaiba grabbed the dice, dropping some of the gold as Joey, with his guitar in hand, played a dramatic chord progression. His timing with that thing was really impeccable.

"Your dice are loaded!" Baron continued, rising up to his feet as his hand fell to the holster that was holding his gun.

Joey played another set of notes with a twisted expression on his face, but this time Kaiba was quick to stop the madness by grabbing the thing and throwing it aside. Then, he turned, glaring at the blonde as he spoke. "What? You gave me loaded dice?"

Baron's hand paused over the holster, his eyes widening in surprise.

"What? I did not!" Joey exclaimed.

Kaiba locked gazes with a guard that had arrived earlier to survey the scene. He noted another one directly behind Joey, but instead of notifying the blonde, he simply continued on with his charade.

"He gave me loaded dice!" Kaiba shouted, dragging out each word like a separate sentence as he pointed behind him. "Guard, arrest him!"

Joey was shell-shocked. He knew Kaiba could be a traitorous and cruel tyrant at times, but this was like leading an innocent lamp into a den of wolves. Seriously, what the heck was Kaiba thinking pulling this stunt? Didn't he realize that they needed to be working together by now?

Well, if he was going to play this game, Joey knew that he would need to milk the situation for all it was worth. He'd show Kaiba. He'd show him just how great of an actor he could be.

After taking a second to clear his throat, Joey slowly stalked toward Kaiba, each word measured and calculated to perfection when he addressed the guard saying, "You dare to impune my honor?"

Kaiba was more than stunned by the blonde's choice of words, but he tried not to show it, for Joey didn't stop there. "He was the one who was cheating, sir." With a sly smirk on his face, Joey shoved the taller teen. "Arrest him! He tricked these sailors and took their money."

The guard glared over at Kaiba.

"Oh, so now I'm the thief?"

Joey nodded, lifting his head up towards the sky. "Yes, yes you are."

Kaiba roughly grabbed Joey's shoulders, turning him around so he would be facing the guard. "Why don't you look in the mirror, pal," he suggested, motioning to his face reflecting off the guard's armor.

Joey groaned at his somewhat distorted reflection as Kaiba glanced behind him. The crowd was growing restless with them and so was Baron and his partners. Another plan surfaced in his mind as he grabbed Joey, the force of his movements knocking the blonde on the dirt with a loud thump.

"You better give their money back or I'll.." with a quick stretch of his hand, Kaiba grabbed the hilt of the sword attached to the guard's hip. He pulled the sword away from its sheath, the thin but sharp blade glinting in the sunlight. "On guard!"

Brown eyes widened, the shock of having a sword pointed towards his face taking precedence for a few seconds. It didn't take Joey long to react though, he scooted backwards, rising up from the ground as he noted the guard behind him.

"On guard yourself!" he exclaimed, backing away a bit more slowly now as a deadly glint sparked in his eyes. He reached back with his left hand. "I will give you the honor of a quick and painless..."

Joey grabbed on to the hilt of a sword, unsheathing it...

"...death?"

He went cross-eyed for a moment, staring at the tiny, tiny, TINY, blade that was supposed to be a long-sword.

_"This thing is a toothpick_," Joey thought, putting the sword back in its place. "Okay, won't be killing you with that." He reached back with his right hand this time and pulled out the same type of sword Kaiba held. "There that's better." With a smile on his face he stepped forward, tossing the blade between both of his hands before settling on the right. "We have to fight fairly now, don't we?"

Kaiba stepped forward, his gaze hard and unwavering as his sword clashed with Joey's.

"Any last words?" he asked.

Joey laughed in his face. "I will cut you to ribbons rich-boy."

That thought was laughable in Kaiba's opinion. Gozoboro had forced him to take up fencing when he was a child and he had mastered the skill quickly and easily. Kaiba was fairly certain Joey had absolutely no experience in sword fighting. If he were actually aiming to kill him, this battle would have been over before it even started.

"Fool!" he shouted, forcing Joey to stumble backward a bit. "Such mediocrity! Let your sword do the talking!"

"I will!" Joey fired back, waving his sword in the air. "It will be loquacious to a fault!"

Wait, wait, hold on, backtrack, rewind.

"It will be loquacious to a fault!"

Yeah that. Let's all just stop for a minute and consider this word called "loquacious". Does anyone know what that means? Anybody? Forget the fourth wall, the plot, and the characters for a second. This a question that's been straight up bugging this authoress for years. Anyone have an answer? Loquacious? What is that?

Okay, okay, this probably isn't the best time to be asking. It is the middle of the story, but still...

Anyway...ahem.

Seto Kaiba couldn't quite wrap his head around the word either. He was so stunned that he was barely able to dodge Joey's oncoming attack. He recovered quickly though, blocking Joey's wild, impetuous swings. Clearly this guy had no idea what he was doing, but Kaiba was slightly impressed with his aim. Through the course of the battle, Joey had managed to nick a small cut across his right cheek.

"Take that!" Kaiba exclaimed, slashing through air when Joey dodged his attack. He moved his sword in an upward motion, the blade barely caching he top of Joey's wrist. The blonde darted backward, the sting of the small cut distracting him. Even with the distraction though, Joey blocked the opposing blade with a vengeance. He wasn't about to lose, not against Kaiba.

With a smirk on his face, Joey jumped up, landing on top of a table where a young couple had been sitting. They gasped as Kaiba rushed toward the table. The taller teen struck out, barely missing the couple mind you, but Joey simply jumped to the next table, and the next until he came to a pile of thick crates stacked against the side wall of the cafe.

"You..." Kaiba growled, swinging his sword left and right, the rules of sword fighting forgotten for a moment. "You mincing, fencing, twit!"

"Ha!" Joey exclaimed, hopping up on the crates. "You fight like my sister!"

"That's assuming your sister actually knows how to defend herself," Kaiba replied, following Joey as he climbed higher. The crates made a direct path to a rooftop next to the cafe. It was the perfect escape route, one that Baron and the others were too distracted to realize.

"You heathen!"

Where Joey is getting these words is beyond the authoress at this point.

Joey stepped onto the roof first, being quick to take steps away from the crates as Kaiba joined him. The taller teen held out his sword, rage clear in his eyes.

"Prepare for defeat Ka...Tulio!" Joey exclaimed, making sure to correct himself.

"Not likely," Kaiba answered, starting to step forward, but the red tiles he was standing on shifted underneath his feet, causing him to fall backward onto the rooftop just as Joey lunged in for an attack. With a grunt, Kaiba held up his sword, blocking Joey's attacks as best he could.

Joey was smiling broadly now, victory in his grasp. With a flick of his wrist, Joey knocked the sword completely out of Kaiba's hand. The blade flew into the air and fell down towards the blonde, but Joey simply reached out, grabbing hold of the hilt of the second sword. He pointed its blade straight at Kaiba's face.

"That's it!" he proclaimed. "I win!"

The crowd below gasped, some of them cheered. As for Baron, David, and Raphael, the three of them just stared, gaping at their own idiocy as Kaiba and Joey's plan became clear.

Joey turned away from Kaiba to face the crowd. "Or at least...I would have won, ladies and gentlemen, if we didn't already decide this match as a draw." He took both swords and tossed them down, the blades stabbing into the ground in front of Baron's feet.

Kaiba's astonishment was clear in his expression, but he followed Joey's lead as he rose to his feet, saying, "Thank you all for coming."

"You've been great see you soon," Joey added, taking a few steps backward on the roof.

Kaiba followed, jumping off the rooftop seconds after Joey did. "Adios!"

The two of them landed on the other side of the second building, falling onto their butts with a slight thump. It was a good thing that the building was only one story. Otherwise, this scene would look a lot different.

"Well, Wheeler," Kaiba began, a groan in his voice, "I have to admit, that wasn't a bad performance."

"Thanks," Joey answered, pounding his chest with his fist. "I have to say I was nervous at first. For a few seconds there I was sure you were actually trying to kill me. Good thing I catch on fast."

Kaiba simply nodded. "Yeah, but there is one thing you did wrong..."

The sentence trailed off as a snort sounded in their ears, followed by an angry drawn out moo. Kaiba and Joey shifted their gazes and both gasped as they came face to face with a massive black bull with crimson red eyes. The bull huffed air out from its snout as it narrowed on the two teens. Apparently, this area was a holding cell for the beast and it wasn't happy about being confined at all.

Joey swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. "I should have kept the swords, huh?"

Kaiba sighed, his expression set in a mask of nonchalance despite the knots twisting in his stomach. "Bingo."

"Got another one of those plans?" Joey whispered, scooting back toward the wall behind him.

"Yeah..." It was the only thing Kaiba could say.

"What is it?"

Kaiba shifted slightly, getting to his knees. "You pet him..."

"Yeah..."

"And I'll..."

Joey frowned. This bit sounded familiar.

"And you'll what?"

Kaiba didn't wait for Joey to finish speaking, he simply got up and shouted, "Run!"

The blonde gasped as Kaiba took off sprinting like a maniac. He wasn't prone to screaming, oh no, the great Seto Kaiba would never sink to that level, but the dust trailing out behind him was a clear indicator that no amount of planning would be enough preparation to take on a raging bull. Doing so at all was a suicide mission.

With that in mind, Joey staggered to his feet and ran like the wind. The bull followed behind.

"Thanks a lot Kaiba!" Joey snarled, rushing to catch up to the brunette as the bull trailed him. "You jerk! I can't believe you did that to me again!"

"Fool you once, shame on me!" Kaiba began, his pace slowing down a bit. "Fool you twice, shame on you! When I fool you again, remind me to call you an idiot once more!"

"Just shut up and run man!" Joey screamed, glancing back at the bull. "That thing is gaining on us. Run faster!"

Kaiba narrowed his gaze. "I can't. We're headed toward a dead-end Wheeler."

"What!" Joey snapped his gaze directly in front of him. To his horror a tall wooden barricade had been placed at the end of the path, trapping the two of them with the bull.

"We might be able to climb over it, but..." Kaiba trailed off. He'd rather not say what was on his mind.

Joey closed his eyes, opting to just keep running as fast as he could. If he was lucky, his speed would break a hole through the barricade on impact.

But the more likely scenario was that the two of them would die the second they reached the barricade, for the bull was only a few paces behind.

Kaiba narrowed his gaze. "Get ready to jump, Wheeler."

Joey opened his eyes and jumped the moment Kaiba did. The two of them grabbed on to the top of the tall wooden wall, fighting to scale over it as the bull rushed forward. Its horns stabbed into the wood, the force causing the section of wall to soar forward.

"Aaaaaaaaaaah!"

A cloud of dust lifted into the air as the wooden wall fell back against the white stones of a more expensive apartment. Kaiba's feet slid down the wood while Joey fell forward on the sandy ground. The bull fought to pull its horns out from the wood as the two of them ran down the dirt path.

"That thing is gonna kill us!" Joey shouted, noting that the bull had freed himself.

"Not if they kill us first," Kaiba argued, pointing toward Baron, David, and Raphael, who had gathered at the end of the deserted street. Baron was reaching for his gun while David and Raphael were wielding the swords Joey had thrown aside.

"Time to die," Baron shouted, withdrawing his gun from the holster. He pointed it straight at Joey's head, his gaze promising death.

Kaiba frantically searched for an escape route as Joey's footsteps halted. He found an alley to their left almost immediately.

"Get down!" he shouted, pulling Joey to the ground as Baron fired the revolver. The bullet whirled past them, hitting the bull square in the head as Kaiba and Joey scrambled down the stone steps of the alleyway.

"After them!"

Joey would have attempted thanking Kaiba for saving his life, but there was no time to think about that with Baron and his lackeys still hot on their trail. The situation only got worse when scores of guards suddenly appeared, aiming to capture them from the other direction.

Kaiba continued to drag Joey this way and that, darting in random directions and into different alleys, desperately trying to lose all the people chasing them.

After five minutes of this, they finally rounded a corner that led them out into the open. The guards trailing not too far behind them with swords and crossbows. In front of them was an open road, with a small carriage parked off to the side. The driver was nearby, laying on a makeshift bed on the side of the road. Above the carriage was a door post and above that was a clothesline where many articles of clothing hung.

Without any hesitation, Joey led the way, hopping on the back of the carriage before lifting himself up to stand on top of it. Kaiba followed as he jumped onto the door post, waiting for him to land before grabbing the rope of the clothesline. After untying the rope, Joey and Kaiba swung across the open street, barely escaping the arrows being shot at them. They landed on another rooftop with Joey nearly falling off of the edge, but Kaiba pulled him along, continuing forward as they jumped across rooftops, racing to an unknown location.

Unfortunately, both of them had to stop in their tracks when they reached the edge of the last rooftop. Straight below them was the paved ground and two open barrels filled with fresh water.

Joey sucked in a breath, shifting his gaze toward Kaiba. "I bet we can make that."

"Are you nuts?" Kaiba questioned, glancing backward as the sound of voices reached his ears. They were running out of time. The guards were coming from the stairway directly behind them.

Kaiba didn't like it, but there was no other choice for them.

"Two pesetas say we can't."

Joey nodded, smiling down at the barrels right as he leaped, shouting, "You're on!"

Kaiba jumped seconds after, his weight pulling him down faster than Joey. He closed his eyes and sucked in a sharp breath, holding it just in case they managed to fall into the barrels. To his relief and shock, the two of them landed perfectly, the water splashing out upon impact.

Joey drank a little of the water before peaking his head out of his slightly. "You lose rich-boy."

"Here just take it." He flicked the two coins over into Joey's barrel. "We'll need to hide in here for a few minutes. Put the lid on your barrel."

"Alright." Joey replied, reaching down for the lid in front of his barrel while Kaiba grabbed the lid behind his. However, seconds after they placed the lids over their heads, a net rose up around the two barrels and the wide board of wood beneath it.

Kaiba groaned when the feeling of being almost airborne filled him. "What's going on?" He was going to say more, but water spilled into his mouth, choking him for a few seconds.

"We're both in barrels," Joey stated, the same thing nearly happening to him, "that's the extent of my knowledge."

"Wheeler..." a cough escaped him, "stop trying to sound more intelligent than you actually are."

"Shut up Kaiba!"

The barrels landed suddenly, causing both guys to gasp a bit. Seconds later though, they both felt themselves being tilted over, the water coming over their heads.

Outside the barrels our heroes are trapped in, sailors yelled out as they moved things around, making preparations for the long voyage ahead of them. Two of the sailors were moving the barrels containing our heroes across the deck, slinging them near the captain's cabin.

Seconds after the two nameless sailors left, the stoppers holding the water inside the barrels were poked out.

"Gah!" Joey gasped out, breathing hard as the water leaked out. "That was not fun."

Kaiba breaths were erratic as well. "At least we survived."

Joey nodded from within his barrel. "By the way, thanks for saving me."

"Saving you?" Kaiba questioned, his eyes reflecting his confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"When Baron was about to shoot me," Joey explained. "You grabbed me and pulled me out the way so the bull would take the hit. If you hadn't done that...well I wouldn't be alive now."

Kaiba shrugged. "Don't thank me Wheeler. I only saved you to ensure I'd get the honor of killing you myself."

Joey rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say. In any case, we should get out of here now. On three we bust out and head for the..."

His sentence was interrupted as a loud bang sounded above their heads. Kaiba immediately pushed against the top of his barrel, finding that escape was going to be an impossible task.

Joey pushed up against the lid of his barrel with both hands as he grumbled. "What just happened? These things were light as air two seconds ago."

"Someone must have placed something heavy on top of both our barrels," Kaiba muttered, leaning back. "We're stuck."

"Well, that's just great," Joey stated sarcastically, sighing out his frustration. "This will definitely slow us down..."

"Make way, make way for Captain Cortés!"

Joey and Kaiba peeked out of the stopper holes, watching as all the sailors lined up in a horizontal line across the deck. A minute later someone new came onto the scene on horseback. Neither of them could see the face of the man on the horse, but they didn't need to. The man is the famous conquistador, Hernán Cortés, that much was expressly clear to the two teens inside the barrels.

At least that much was clear until the man started speaking.

"Midnight tonight we sail to conquer the new world," he began, "for Spain, for glory, for gold!"

The men cheered in response, completely unaware of the two shocked teens.

"That...was that Bakura...no, that was the spirit of the Millennium Ring," Joey stammered. "He's Cortés? Awww man, that's definitely not good."

Kaiba quickly composed himself, shrugging off the surprise as he spoke. "At least it's not the freaky fish guy."

* * *

Back in the present time.

"Aaaaaaah chew!"

Mako Tsunami sniffled, wiping his nose with a tissue as a subtle wind blew through his spiky jet black hair. "That came out of nowhere. Someone must be talking about me somewhere." He shrugged then, staring out at the beautiful ocean before him. "What do you think ocean?"

Silence met his question.

Mako frowned, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. "Why don't you ever say anything to me?"

* * *

A/N: Whew! This one took a while, but in the end it was so worth it. I loved writing this chapter from the moment it started to the moment it ended. If anything, this is the most fun I've had writing a story in a good long while. Anyway, thanks for reading. Please review.


	5. To the New World Part 3

A/N: Well, last chapter was...long to say the least. This one is going to be long too, but probably not as long as the last one. Prepare for more humor and drama! Thanks to all my reviewers. You guys are awesome.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh. I also do not own anything related to The Road to Eldorado. This is a fanbased work meant for entertainment purposes only.

Chapter 5

To the New World Part 3

Hours upon hours had passed since Joey and Kaiba found themselves trapped in their hiding places on the ship of Hernán Cortés. Kaiba's mind was going rampant with questions, wondering about many things, but the main problem being why Yuuko failed to mention that they would come across people who looked similar to people they knew in their everyday...and not so everyday lives. He started to get the feeling that the witch was watching them, paying attention to every detail of their little "adventure". It was a maddening thing to process, but Kaiba kept contemplating the issues surrounding the mess he'd found himself in.

Joey lay crouched up in his barrel, sleeping like a baby. Drool slipped from the corner of his mouth as he snored softly, dreams of winning Duel Monster championships and marrying Mai Valentine dancing around in his somewhat hollow head. For a moment, the young man was at peace.

Unfortunately, the sudden growling of his stomach woke him, causing all of his problems to descend on his shoulders once more. He blinked slowly, taking in his tight surroundings. A small feeling of claustrophobia crept up inside of him, but he distracted himself from the feeling by yawning softly. After this his stomach growled again, providing another distraction.

"Kaiba...are you awake?" he asked, sounding a bit groggy.

"Yes."

"What time is it?"

Kaiba groaned in response. "I don't have a watch on me Wheeler, but..." he trailed off, peeking out of the stopper hole, "judging by the sky and the swaying of the boat...I'd say it's past midnight."

Joey's stomach growled again. "We should have grabbed some food while we were at that café."

Kaiba's stomach growled at the mention of food. "Yeah, we should have."

"And...wait, did we just agree on something?"

"I guess so," Kaiba replied, his stomach grumbling almost painfully now. He had skipped out on breakfast that morning and hadn't eaten since. As long as he hadn't been thinking of food he was fine, but now it was almost all he could think about. "I'm starving."

Joey nodded. "Me too but..." he pressed his hand up against the top of the barrel again in a half-hearted attempt to escape. "As long as we're stuck in here we're pretty much screwed."

Kaiba chuckled. "It wouldn't be a first for me."

"Why do you say that?"

This was an odd turn of events. Were these two actually engaging in a normal conversation?

For a moment, Kaiba was too caught up in his hunger to think about the words coming out of his mouth. "When my parents died, the first thought that came to my mind was that the two of us were doomed to the same fate." He chuckled, leaning his head back as he stared at the top of the barrel. "I was afraid of what would happen to us, what would happen to him if someone separated us. However as the days turned into weeks and weeks into months...I feared of what would happen to me if anything should tear us apart, whether we were adopted by different parents or something of a more permanent nature." He chuckled again, lost in feelings of nostalgia. "Even now...I still feel the same."

Joey didn't say anything, only absorbed the words Kaiba spoke. He understood what Kaiba was talking about, had lived those exact fears when his mother took Serenity away.

"I'm sorry."

Kaiba sighed, his stone cold exterior returning to the surface, thoughts of food thrown aside. "Don't pity me Wheeler."

"The words aren't out of pity Kaiba," Joey replied. "I'm apologizing for what I said today...about your brother not being able to stay glued to your side and saying he'd resent you." He paused, thinking of his sister. "It's not my place to judge your relationship with him. For that I'm sorry."

Silence took precedence in the air for a moment. Sapphire eyes closed.

"Apology accepted."

Joey smirked, bringing his knees up to his chest. "Thanks."

The two young men sat in silence for a long time after that, their thoughts drifting to their families and the current predicament at hand. After all, both of their stomachs were still roaring like two ravenous lions.

"We've got to try getting out of here again," Joey groaned, his mind going haywire. "I'm not sure how much more of this I can take."

Kaiba lifted his hands, pressing his palms against the wood. "I doubt it'll work, but I'm willing to give anything a try at this point."

Joey laughed a bit. "Wow, I can't believe it. We're actually getting along."

"Please don't push your luck Wheeler," Kaiba muttered, pushing the top of the barrel with all his might.

"Okay." The blonde pressed his hands against the wood, low growls falling from his lips as he pushed, but the lid wasn't budging. Whatever was resting on top of the barrels was definitely heavy.

"Let's try again."

"You can't be serious. This will just wear us out Wheeler."

"Come on Kaiba," Joey pleaded, pushing against the top again. "Just trust me on this."

The brunette groaned, but he pushed against the wood again, sweat beginning to gather at his brow. Joey felt his budge slightly, almost as if the weight from the top of the barrel was being lifted.

"Wheeler!"

"One more time!"

The two of them pressed their hands against the top of the lid one more time...

And without really registering it, Joey and Kaiba found themselves rising out of the barrels and into fresh sea air. That was the bright side of the situation.

On the not so bright side, every eye on the ship was now locked on them, including the eyes of three familiar faces.

"Well, well, well," Baron began, having somehow accumulated a black eye. "What do we have here? A couple of stowaways?" He snickered, glancing back at David and Raphael. "Looks like we'll get our revenge men."

David shrugged. "I got my revenge by punching you in the face. Far as I'm concerned, this matter is settled."

Baron growled. "Shut up you stupid Brit, nobody asked you!"

Kaiba groaned as Joey tried to sink back into his barrel unnoticed.

"Um...who ordered the pickles?"

* * *

Fifteen minutes later the two teens found themselves in chains.

"Gah!" Joey shouted, having just been thrown across the wooden floor of the Captain's cabin. "You could be a bit more gentle, guys!"

Kaiba was treated in the same manner, but he kept his mouth shut about it, opting to assess the man standing before them. He was a thin, almost scrawny man, the armor he wore making him look far bulkier than he actually was. The pictures in history books Kaiba had seen depicted Cortés as a short, fat man with brown hair and a black beard, but instead of seeing this, Kaiba saw a head full of somewhat spiky white locks.

The man slowly turned, revealing his pale face to them. There was a calculated and enraged expression on his face as he spoke.

"My crew was as carefully chosen as the disciples of Christ," he began, cracking his fists in anger as a thick Spanish accent rolled off his tongue. His brown eyes glowered dangerously, daring either one of the two teens to speak. "I will not tolerate stowaways."

Joey swallowed. "What if we told you it was an accident..."

"SILENCE!"

Kaiba shook his head as Joey flinched, cowering like a scared puppy. It was a pathetic display as far as Kaiba was concerned.

Cortes, who looked an awful lot like Bakura when he'd been taken over by the Millennium Ring, cracked his knuckles once more. "You will be flogged and when we pull into Cuba to resupply, God willing, you will be flogged some more, and then enslaved on the sugar plantations for the rest of your miserable lives." He scoffed, smirking as he turned away. "Put them in the brig."

"Certainly," Baron answered, roughly grabbing onto Kaiba's collar.

"Wait, I have a question!" Joey shouted. "What's flogged mean?"

Kaiba shook his head. "How many times am I going to have to tell you to shut your big mouth?"

David grabbed the blonde as he spoke. "I'm sorry for trying to increase my intellect. Sheesh! Give me a break rich-boy!"

That night, Baron and David made sure to explain the definition of the word in the most tortuous way possible.

* * *

Three days later, Joey and Kaiba were still in the brig. During those three days they had only been given water and scraps of bread. It was just enough to survive, but the two teens were beginning to feel the effects of malnutrition.

Joey slept a great deal, escaping reality in a peaceful and dreamless sleep. It wasn't much, but it helped keep him sane.

Kaiba, however, was not doing so well. He hadn't slept, having barely touched the food given to him. He spent all his time banging his forehead against the wooden post, trying to will his mind to form a plan. The unfortunate thing about it was that the lack of sleep was starting to get to him. He was seeing things, hallucinating scenarios and people who weren't around. During the late hours the previous night, he was sure he could feel sharp needles poking through his skin over and over. He couldn't shake the feeling, nearly screamed out in terror when banging his head added to the trauma.

Above the brig, life was better for everyone except...

"No, no, no, these are not for you!"

Altivo, Cortés' prized war-horse, narrowed his greyish eyes on the bronze bowl filled to the brim with pure, blood-red apples gleaming in the sunlight as Raphael passed by. As he passed, one of the apples slipped out of the bowl, falling onto the deck of the ship. Altivo's eyes followed it as he pranced about, keeping his eyes on the apple until it slipped through the bars that kept Joey and Kaiba trapped.

The apple bounced on Joey's stomach. He gasped upon seeing it, glancing up at the iron bars above his head. All he could see was the orange and red sky far above them. Was this a gift from heaven? Was it an illusion?

Joey held the fruit in his hand, examining it for a long moment. It certainly seemed real. He wanted to sink his teeth into it then and there, but he hesitated, glancing over at Kaiba.

The young C.E.O. was still banging his head on the wooden post, his jaw locked in a tense frown. Dark circles lined his eyes, making him look like a deranged raccoon.

"_Better tread cautiously_," Joey thought, clearing his throat as he crawled across the hay they were both sitting on. "So um...how's the escape plan coming?"

Kaiba ceased for a moment, his stare blank as he answered. "Fine...just fine...wait!"

Joey blinked, watching as Kaiba banged his head on the wood a few more times.

He turned toward the blonde, his sapphire eyes gleaming. "Alright, I think...I've got something."

"_A headache is definitely one of those things_," Joey stated mentally. "Let's hear it."

Kaiba nodded his head, a smirk on his face. "Here's the plan. In the dead of night, you and I grab some provisions, hijack one of those longboats, and then we row back to Domino and out of this crazy, long extended nightmare...haha...hahaha!"

"Um..."

The hysterical laughter ceased. "Do you have a problem with the plan Wheeler?" Kaiba asked, a deadly edge to his voice.

"No, of course not," Joey replied, laughing nervously while holding the apple tighter in his hand. "_Just creeped out in knowing you've completely lost it._" He scratched the back of his head with his free hand. "I like the plan. So, how do we get on deck?"

Kaiba's expression deadpanned for a moment as he lifted his hands, shaking them slightly while sucking in a huge breath.

"Here's the plan. In the dead of night, you and I grab some provisions, hijack one of those longboats..."

Joey rolled his eyes. "Oh, that's just sensational."

Kaiba grabbed the collar of his shirt. "Okay then, what's your plan smart guy? Do you even have one? You haven't been staying up all night, fighting off hallucinations and what not. You've been asleep, happily dancing in a blissful dreamland!"

"Would you just calm down!" Joey shouted, shoving the loony Kaiba away. "Just..." he trailed off as the sound of neighing caught his attention. Glancing down at the apple in his hand, an idea came to him.

Kaiba was ready to lunge at him, but stopped when Joey rose to his feet. "Give me a boost. I've got a plan."

"You...do?"

"Yeah, now come on," Joey groaned, scowling in impatience. "Give me a boost already."

Kaiba hesitated, but he complied to the request and allowed Joey to climb up on his shoulders. Joey wobbled a bit, but was tall enough to hold up the shiny red apple in plain sight through the bars.

Altivo, who'd been eyeing the space for a good long while now, noticed the apple immediately.

"Hey, Altivo," Joey whispered, tossing the apple between each hand before settling on the left. "Come here Altivo."

Altivo started forward, his steps slow and measured as Joey continued to advertise the juicy fruit.

"You want a nice apple? Come and get it."

Altivo was coming straight away, no hesitance at all now as he lowered his head toward the bars.

"But, you have to do a trick for me first."

The horse halted, pulling back for a second.

Joey smiled as he stared into the horse's eyes. "All you have to do is find a crowbar. It's a long piece of iron with a hooky thing at the end, okay?" He waved the apple before him again. "Do this for me and I'll give you this beautiful, succulent apple."

"Wheeler, this is ridiculous," Kaiba grunted, his shoulders tensing from all the weight being placed on them. "You're talking to a horse?"

"That's right Altivo," Joey continued, completely ignoring his companion. "Find the crowbar."

Kaiba scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Oh yes, tell a horse to find a crowbar. He can't understand "crowbar". There's no way..."

His sentence fell to the wind. Sapphire eyes widened as a set of keys fell through the bars.

After a moment he collected himself. "Well, it's not a crowbar."

Joey shrugged. "Good enough for me."

* * *

That night, after everyone had gone to sleep for the night, Joey and Kaiba made their escape.

The wind howled as Joey gently closed the lid to the brig, happy to be free from confinement. Kaiba was nearby, gathering provisions and such. It seemed like they were actually going to get off this crazy ship.

Joey took slow footsteps, letting out a sigh of relief. It actually worked, the plan actually...

Something nudged Joey's back and he jumped, almost gasping as he turned around. Thankfully, only Altivo met his fearful gaze. Joey sighed again, exhaling the breath he'd been holding.

"Oh, Altivo," Joey began, petting the top of the horse's head. "Thank you. If we can ever return the favor..." the blonde lost the sentence as the horse began to sniff at his shirt, like he was searching for something...

Kaiba growled from his place by the rowboat. "For the love of Blue Eyes Wheeler, he's a ruthless warhorse not a poodle. Let's go."

Joey nodded, turning away from Altivo. He jumped into the boat just as Kaiba began to lower it towards the awaiting ocean below.

Altivo wasn't happy with this though. He clamored to the edge of the ship, staring down at the two men as they descended. Whines fell from his mouth, gaining volume as the seconds continued to pass.

Joey stared up at him, bringing a finger to his lips. "Shh, quiet please."

"What's the matter with him?" Kaiba snarled quietly.

After a few seconds, Joey got a clear picture of why Altivo was making such a fuss. "Oh, duh, he wants his apple." He withdrew it from one of the inside pockets of his vest.

Kaiba glared up at the horse, snatching the apple out of Joey's hand. "Then let's give it to him before he wakes up the whole ship." He smirked, reeling his hand back. "Fetch!"

The apple soared into the air, flying past Altivo's head. The horse's gaze followed the fruit as it fell down, bouncing off the sail before flying overhead again. Then it hit a telescope, sending it whirling round and round. Altivo tried to follow the path of the apple again, but completely missed it as it fell over the edge of the ship.

Joey and Kaiba were still lowering their rowboat when they heard a small drip in the water. They both looked down...fearing the worst.

Seconds later, Altivo flew past them, making a massive splash in the water.

Joey's eyes widened as he rushed to the edge of the rowboat, angling himself to dive. It wasn't a sound idea to dive into the ocean after a horse, but the blonde felt obligated. They owed the animal a debt for helping them out.

"Hold on Altivo!"

"What!" Kaiba exclaimed, watching in horror as Joey jumped out of the boat. "Wheeler!" He gasped as the rope slipped from his hands, causing the rowboat to fall into the water faster than it should have. Kaiba lost his balance when it landed, causing him to fall back on his butt. He fought to keep curses from rising out of his throat.

Joey swam out towards the horse, his wet hair falling over his eyes as he grabbed the reins Altivo was still wearing around his mouth. "Hang on! I'm right here ol boy."

"Are you out of your mind!" Kaiba questioned after regaining his footing, swiftly reaching for the rowing paddles by his bare feet. With a groan he started rowing toward the two of them, aggravated by his companion's foolishness.

However, as he neared them, Joey's eyes widened. He pointed behind Kaiba's head, causing the brunette to shift his gaze backward. The front of the ship was about to collide with the rowboat.

"Jump Kaiba!" Joey screeched, but there wasn't enough time. The waves knocked Kaiba out of the small boat as it toppled over their heads, the provisions falling into the ocean in the same instant.

Joey, Kaiba, and Altivo resurfaced inside the boat, gasping for air. Altivo kicked out, busting the crates that had floated up to the surface.

"Loop the rope under the horse," Kaiba barked, dodging as Altivo continued to strike out. "Hurry!"

Joey nodded, grabbing hold of the rope. "Right!" He took a deep breath and then plunged underneath the waves. He looped the rope underneath Altivo and resurfaced next to the toppled rowboat. With a gasp he pulled himself on top of it, reaching out as Kaiba resurfaced on the other side, reaching out his hand as well. Joey grabbed his hand, pulling him up to the top of the boat with him.

Kaiba grasped the rope once he was steady. "On the count of three, pull back on the rope!"

"What?"

Kaiba turned his gaze away for a moment, his eyes locking on Cortés' ship. It was headed straight toward them.

"Three!"

The two teens pulled back as the giant ship passed. The waves pushed against them, causing the boat to flip back into its original place on the water as Joey and Kaiba plummeted into the waves once more.

After a moment, Kaiba resurfaced, grabbing hold of an empty crate. Joey resurfaced seconds later and grabbed on to the same crate, gasping as they floated over to the rowboat.

Joey smiled broadly, showing off his pearly whites as he gazed at their small boat. Altivo was resting inside, chewing on some sort of food. "We did it Kaiba! Your plan worked!"

Kaiba nodded, still breathing erratically. "Of course it did." He pulled himself back into the rowboat with Joey right beside him. Their feet hung out of the boat slightly, the tips of their toes touching the waves.

"Man, that was exhausting," Joey mumbled, staring up at the starry sky.

"Did any of the supplies make it?"

Joey tilted his gaze to the right, watching as Altivo chewed on the remaining bits of food they'd managed to save from their disaster.

"Um...yes and no..."

Kaiba abruptly sat up, glaring over at the horse. "You've got to be kidding me with this?

"Hey, look on the positive side of things Kaiba," Joey suggested, attempting a smile. "At least this can't get any..."

Out of nowhere thunder and lightning crackled through the sky, a torrent of rain drenching them in ten seconds flat.

Kaiba's eyebrows twitched. "Were you about to say 'worse'?"

"Uh...no..."

"Are you certain about that?"

Joey nodded. "Yep, I'm pretty sure."

* * *

The week that followed was a complete and utter disaster.

In the daytime, Joey and Kaiba used the paddles to row the boat. The heat of the was intense, causing both of them to sunburn on more than one occasion. They continued on despite the pain, choosing to keep silent to focus on the task at hand. There wasn't much food left thanks to Altivo, so all meals were rationed portions, much to Joey's discomfort.

At night, Joey and Kaiba took turns sleeping, watching the waves and rowing in the direction the stars led them in. At this point, where they were going was anyone's guess.

Neither of them knew of the power that was guiding them. They had no clue of how fast they were actually moving either. The trip across the ocean from Spain to the shores of either of the Americas should have taken about a months time, but the two of them had managed to cover a great deal of the distance in less than half the time.

Even so, the journey was a turbulent one. The sea was a vengeful beast when it wanted to be, rocking and rowing them every which way.

The storm two nights ago had been the worst of it. A huge typhoon had come upon them, the winds causing the waves to whip around and around in a relentless cycle of chaos. With all their might, Joey and Kaiba fought against the current, using the boat-with a horse on board mind you-as a tool to surf the waves. Doing so had been a battle, nearly a fight to the death because their fight was a war against nature.

The provisions ran out that same night, not only leaving the two teens exhausted, but desperate for food.

Then there was the incident with the seagull yesterday...an incident Joey and Kaiba chose not to think about because doing so would just make them cry all over again. You could say that the bird, (which was eaten before their eyes by a white shark), was the last hope for their survival.

As morning broke over the horizon, Joey and Kaiba both recognized a reality neither one of them had dreamed of facing.

This would be their last day.

With their provisions gone and no means for eating Altivo, (yes they would have attempted to eat the horse), today would be the last day for them to live. Their water supply was gone too which was another additive to their dire situation. Anger welled up inside both teens as they thought back to the moments that brought them here. Both of them wanted to hate the other, but neither could see the point anymore. What's done is done was the mentality that echoed in their minds.

Plus, in these last days they had gained an understanding of each other...if only slightly.

At noon, Joey and Kaiba sat with their backs pressed against each other. Altivo lay behind them, resting easily, acting as if this weren't the last day of their lives. They'd been like that since dawn.

Kaiba finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "Did you ever imagine your life ending like this?"

Joey sighed. "The horse is a surprise."

Altivo lifted up his head a bit, but then lowered it, rolling his eyes to which Joey responded with a small laugh. "Nah. For a while I thought you'd might try to kill me someday, Kaiba, though I was never really worried about it. In the end though, I was certain that my dad would be the one to have that honor."

Silence overtook them again as Kaiba closed his eyes. After another minute or so he spoke again. "So, your father is abusive?"

"Yeah, I guess," the blonde replied, chuckling again. "When I was younger I couldn't defend myself, but now I can show him a thing or two if I want."

"I see."

More silence for a while.

"Any...regrets?"

"Besides dying?" Joey questioned. He thought it over for a few seconds. "Yeah. You?"

Kaiba opened his eyes, lowering his gaze as he spoke. "Besides dying?" He let out a laugh of his own. "More than I care to count to be honest."

"Like what?"

Kaiba didn't respond at first, opting to think over whether he wanted to answer this question at all. He was pretty sure that this wasn't a nightmare anymore. Everything felt too real and the lack of sleep was forcing him to reflect on the events of his life from the start to the coming end. The idea of death wasn't something he feared. In actuality, he welcomed the idea and had contemplated suicide many times before the routine of running Kaiba Corp. distracted his mind. No...even then there were those moments, dark times where all he could see and feel was the torture Gozoboro inflicted on him, seeing no way out except death. Understanding that his brother needed him had become a guiding force in his life, willing him to live on. Without that constant, the memories and horrors of Gozoboro's abuse rush to the surface.

"Sometimes I regret choosing Gozoboro as a step-father," Kaiba said finally, clenching his fists atop his lap. "I understood the basics of his nature. He couldn't be trusted from the start. I understood that he was a master manipulator, but I was arrogant. Defeating him at chess had been so simple because I stood to gain and lose everything. I wanted a better life for myself and for my brother but..." he trailed off, unable to continue for a moment.

Joey waited. It was odd to hear the normally silent Seto Kaiba open up about his past and he wasn't about to ruin this rare opportunity by opening his big mouth. Of course, it's not like it would matter anyway. They were both going to succumb to fatigue, thirst, and hunger by the end of the day. Death was upon them. They both understood that.

So there was no need to hold anything inside now.

"I fear the cost may have been too great," Kaiba finished, sighing out in sadness. "I ended up betraying Mokuba to gain control of Kaiba Corp. but more than that...in the process of becoming a Kaiba, I lost the person Seto used to be. Knowing that...the pain of knowing what I've become is excruciating."

"I never knew you were struggling with all that," Joey stated, his gaze drifting to the open ocean. "All this time I was certain you were just born a jerk. Even when we learned about your past from Mokuba and from Noah when we were trapped in that virtual world...it just never clicked.

Kaiba smirked. "I've put a great deal of effort into keeping my emotions hidden, but it's pointless to do so now I suppose. The fact is that we're both going to die here. We won't have the opportunity to return home and tell the people we love most how we feel. We won't have the chance to say goodbye or to apologize for any of the mistakes we've made."

Joey closed his eyes, low chuckles rising in his throat. A few seconds later the chuckles rose out of his mouth, turning into full-blown laughter.

"What's so funny Wheeler?" Kaiba asked, glaring over his shoulder. "Did you drink the sea water again?"

"No," Joey choked out, fighting to stop the laughs that continued to spill out. "It's just...you are depressing Kaiba. Seriously, you need to lighten up."

Kaiba groaned. "We're facing death. It's not exactly a light subject."

"Yeah, but life is meant to be lived to the fullest isn't it?" Joey glanced over his shoulder at him. "If this is our last day, we should try to enjoy it."

"Really?" Kaiba questioned. "Well, why don't you tell me what you regret then. That'll be fun for me."

Joey shrugged. "Not much, really. I suppose I regret not being a better friend sometimes, for failing in keeping some of the promises I made...but my greatest regret is that I never..."

"You never what? Spit it out."

"Hey, I was patient with you," Joey barked, "so just shut your trap and let me think about how I want to phrase this."

Kaiba bit down on his tongue, fighting the string of words that wanted to come out. Old habits die hard.

The silence wasn't long. Joey was never a person who concerned himself with how he sounded. He always said exactly what was on his mind.

"All I really wanted in life was to be respected, you know, held in high regard," he began, staring up towards the cloudless sky. "I dreamed of being the best Duelist in the world. I wanted fame as well as fortune, even though I know those things aren't all that important in the end. When I really think about it, I see that things could have been worse for me. Even so, I still wanted the gold and glory."

"I understand that," Kaiba replied, his gaze also lifting to the sky. "You want to be the very best, to make your mark in the world. That desire fades when you attain it though. Instead, you start wishing for a peace of mind." He sighed again. "That's the one possession I've never been able to gain."

Joey frowned. "Well..." the corners of his mouth lifted, "if it's any consolation to you, at least you've gained...an aquaintance out of all this."

Kaiba smiled a bit. "Wheeler, at this point...after going through all this. I'd almost be willing to call you...a friend."

The blonde gasped, taking a moment to look behind his shoulder. "Really?"

"Key word there was almost, mongrel."

The two of them exchanged laughs, their voices weak as the heat of the sun began to overwhelm them.

"Guess this is the end then...isn't it?" Joey asked.

Kaiba lowered his hand into the salt water. "I suppose."

Silence overtook them again. Joey's hand eventually slipped into what he thought would be water, but oddly enough the texture of it felt different...it was kind of grainy...

Kaiba felt it too, lifting his hand up the second Joey did. The blonde didn't register what had happened at first, shaking the particles of sand out of his hand while the brunette stared at it, an uncharacteristic grin on his handsome face. Even so, it didn't take long for it to click in Joey's mind. He gasped, staring down and finding a beach underneath the boat. Beyond the beach was a jungle, a stream next to it, and in the distance a giant mountain range.

Joey jumped out of the boat, screaming, "Land! We found land! We're saved!" He started dancing around in circles before kneeling down, kissing the ground as he crawled about until his lips traveled a little too far...

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Kaiba and Altivo shook their heads, watching as Joey jumped up from the ground. Straight below him were two skeletons. One of them had a rusty sword protruding through its head.

"Gah! Ah! I kissed a skeleton head! Gah! That's just disgusting! Bleh! Aaaaaah!" He wiped his lips over and over with his sleeves. "Okay, I'm officially in favor of getting back in the boat and rowing anywhere else."

Kaiba stepped out of the boat, ignoring Joey's continuous complaints as his gaze locked on a rock across the stream thirty or so feet away. The shape of it resembled the head of an eagle, but this wasn't what intrigued the C.E.O. What intrigued him was that the thing looked familiar, like he'd seen it recently.

He blinked, his eyes widening. "Wheeler!"

Joey stopped his rant about random skeletons. "Yeah?"

"Do you still have the map?"

"Uh...surprisingly..." he reached into the inside pocket of his vest. "Yeah, I've got it right here."

Kaiba extended his hand. "I need to see it."

Joey handed him the rolled up parchment without complaint. The taller teen opened it up, his eyes locking on the marking that revealed a rock shaped like the head of the eagle. He glanced back up at the rock.

"Kaiba..."

Said teen turned around, smirking. "We've done it!"

Joey blinked in confusion as Kaiba turned back toward the rock. "What are you talking about?"

"Just come look," Kaiba stated, examining the map. "It's all right here!"

"Seriously?" Joey asked, rushing to Kaiba's side. "You mean it really is..."

"The map to Eldorado."

* * *

A/N: This story is so fun to write. I'm having such a great time with it. Tell me what you all think of it. I hope you all are enjoying reading it as much as I'm enjoying writing it. Most fun I've had writing in a very long time. Thanks for reading everyone! Have a great day!


	6. The Trail We Blaze

A/N: Hi again everyone! I am having the best time writing this! Can you all tell? Anyway, this chapter is going to bring about more comedy and action! I hope you all will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. So, grab whatever snacks you want, sit down, relax, and enjoy the show!

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Yu-gi-oh or The Road to Eldorado whether it be lines, songs...eh you'll see what I mean.

Chapter 6

The Trail We Blaze

Baron Santiago was not in a very good mood.

A week had passed since word of the stowaways escaping with Cortés' prized horse Altivo, circulated throughout the many cabins of the ship. The second Baron heard the news he rammed his fist into a wall, cursing his own incompetence for allowing the two misfits to live. He should have killed them when he had the chance. Lord knows he tried to, but through the course of enjoying the flogging of those two idiots, he had completely forgotten about one _life-altering_ detail.

Those fools still had the map; the map that originally belonged to the captain; the map he stole and gambled away.

When Baron told David this, he ended up with another black eye.

Of course, having two black eyes and looking like a raccoon was the least of his worries at this point. A week had passed without much action aside from Cortés ranting about the disgrace that would fall on his shoulders when word broke out about his crew allowing two fugitives to escape their clutches. It really was a shame, but Baron knew full well that the rants were just a mild taste of what he would receive when he finally discovered that the map to the city of gold was gone.

It was only a matter of time before he noticed. Cortés was not a foolish man, he would discover the truth before too long and Baron would find himself on the sugar plantations of Cuba if the ruthless captain didn't torture him to death first. As far as he was concerned, the only reason the missing map had escaped Cortés' notice was because of how busy things were around the ship. The man simply didn't have time to stare at his glorious map for hours on end like he did on their first voyage to the New World. This time he didn't just have a normal crew of sailors either. He had soldiers on board now, soldiers who could grind Baron to dust without any effort at all.

David Grant was one of those soldiers. The two black eyes Baron was sporting was the least amount of damage the red-head could do. Raphael was another one of those soldiers, rather, to say that he was a skilled assassin would be more accurate. Baron had watched him snap necks in two with his bare hands. He was practically a freak of nature.

Don't be fooled. Baron was no lily in the valley. He was a very skilful gunman. Up until the other day in the alley, he had never missed a target. Like Raphael, he was an experienced killer, but he had always been a bit more easygoing, choosing to follow the wind wherever it took him. Baron wasn't thinking when he took the map to Eldorado. He held no ill will toward Cortés nor did he wish to disgrace his country. Baron stole the map for one reason and one reason only. He wanted the gold for himself.

Baron was good at manipulating people to his will for the most part. That was how he had gained David and Raphael as allies to begin with. However, their trust in him was wanning...actually it was pretty much gone at this point. Neither one of them would hesitate to sell him out to the captain if given the chance to defend themselves for their part in gambling off the map. In the end though, it didn't really matter. Baron would accept his fate one way or another. All paths led to the New World which provided all the opportunity he needed to find the city of gold on his own...that is if he's given any chance of escape.

Talking himself out of trouble was his greatest strength and the only skill he could fall back on at this point. Once Cortés discovered his betrayal, he would strip him of his gun...maybe even kill him with it.

"You're looking terrible," David stated, his sudden presence shaking Baron out of his thoughts. "Keep brooding about like you are and the Captain will start asking questions." He stared out at the open ocean, watching as the sun neared the highest point in the sky. "Do you believe he will automatically suspect you of treason? Don't make me laugh Baron."

Baron sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. "I don't intend to let someone else take the blame for my actions." He opened his eyes again, shifting his gaze so that it rested on the red-head. "You know if it comes down to you or me...you'll choose yourself."

David shrugged. "I suppose..." he trailed off, leaning his weight against the edge of the ship as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Of course, if you go down, Raphael and I will fall into the same net. Cortés is no fool. He'll know that we helped you steal the map."

Baron didn't respond to that.

"I don't understand why you insist on acting so noble Baron," David continued, smirking. "You aren't a hero. Never have been, never will be."

"I could be."

David glared at him. "Why bother? What does it matter if you're remembered for some valiant deed during this season of life. Eventually, you will be forgotten. Even if someone does happen to remember something great that you did, the history of it will be full of holes. After all, the writers of history are only human, capable of making mistakes and changing facts to make the story more interesting. People lie and people die. That's the end of it."

"You're wrong," Baron answered, narrowing his gaze on his hands on top of the railing. "Life isn't that simple. Yes, people lie and people make mistakes, but that's just a surface issue. We don't live just to die David."

"I don't know," the red-head answered, shrugging in indifference. "I'm no philosopher. I'm a simple man betrayed by his country and people. My sense of loyalty is tainted because of that."

"I imagine so." Baron's hands fell from the railing. "You did lose your eye and your family because of Henry." A smirk lifted the corners of his mouth. "You have to live to make sure you take your revenge, or am I wrong?"

"No, you are correct to assume that."

Baron nodded. "Thought so..."

"But when I take my revenge...," David cut in, "I plan on having the best warriors by my side. To win against impossible odds, I'll need the strength of impossibly stubborn people like you and Raphael." He sighed. "You two never give up when your minds are set on something."

"You have a point," the spiky haired man relented, smiling fully now. "So, we throw someone else under the rug then?"

"That's the plan." With that David turned away, having been called by another crew member to handle some business, leaving Baron to gaze at the crystal blue ocean once more.

The path ahead wasn't going to be easy. The paths of life never were and Baron accepted that. Even so, he believed the most difficult paths to be the most enjoyable, so why not go forward as he normally would?

Besides, going forward provided him with the chance to pay back the two men for the anxiety dealt to him tenfold.

* * *

Meanwhile

"_No, no, no, no, no!_"

Kaiba's eyes were twitching uncontrollably, making him look like someone who had turrets. He gritted his teeth as Joey stumbled toward the lush jungle ahead of him, a rusty sword-compliments of the random skeleton lying on the beach-grasped firmly in his hand. He sliced up leaves, smiling broadly as he exclaimed...

"Come on Kaiba! We'll follow the trail!"

"_No, I know where this is going and I will not take part in it._"

The scripted words fell out of his mouth anyway, albeit they were spoken through tightly clenched teeth, but his growing resistance to the madness held no weight. This part of the story was happening whether he wanted it to or not.

"What trail?"

Joey lifted the sword, cutting across the leaves and vines that hung in front of him. "The trail...that we blaze!" He stopped, watching as the greenery fell to the beach. Unfortunately, the only thing behind it was a thick rock wall."

For a moment, Kaiba just stood in silence, his eyes still twitching as Altivo pranced up behind him.

"Um..." Joey trailed off as he stared at the rock for a good long minute. Once that minute ended he pointed the sword toward another area of the greenery. "That trail that we blaze!"

Kaiba stiffly shook his head, hearing the subtle sound of music before actually being aware of the fact that music was suddenly playing in the background. His eyes twitched more violently now, almost suggesting that he needed medical attention from a mental institution. At this point, that prospect is more than likely to happen once this craziness ends.

"_I've got to wake up_," he thought, stepping forward almost robotically. Altivo shook his head, knowing he had to get away from this madness, but Kaiba grabbed on to the reins, tugging the horse forward as he muttered, "Oh no, if I have to go through this, so do you."

Joey started ahead, his smile still wide. "Come on Kaiba! I feel a sing-a-long coming on."

"_If there's any possibility that this can still be a nightmare, please let me wake up now_," Kaiba pleaded, his gaze rising up toward the sky. "_Better yet, God, just strike me down now. Kill me with a bolt of lightning and be done..._"

Altivo, angry for having to take part in all this, decided to break into Kaiba's thoughts in the worst way possible.

"Gah! Wheeler!"

Joey turned around, pausing for a moment. "What? Can't you hear the music. You're slowing us down man."

Kaiba glared at him, eyes still twitching. "Your horse just bit me in the butt!"

"Yeah, so?"

The young C.E.O. was a thread away from killing the blonde, but the time to do so was robbed from him as the scene around them suddenly whirled in time with the random music.

When Kaiba regained his footing, he found himself following in step behind Joey as he cut down the branches of a tree, making a path for them through the lush jungle as someone...somewhere started singing.

_Look out new world, here we come!_

Kaiba just sighed as the scenery changed again. He found himself standing behind Altivo, struggling to put on his shoes as Joey sat on the horse's back, staring at the map. Without warning, he shouted out, "Charge!"

Altivo immediately took off with Joey on board, leaving the C.E.O. behind.

As for Joey's thoughts on all this. Well, he was having a blast. Sure he thought the random music was weird and all, but he tried not to think about it. Instead he focused on keeping control of Altivo as he galloped. Joey didn't have any experience in driving a horse, but he found that pulling the reigns in different directions made the horse move in that same direction. It didn't take long for the blonde to catch on.

_Brave, intrepid; and then some._

Joey ended up coming back, finding himself behind Kaiba. For a moment his brows furrowed. He stared at the map, wondering if he had taken a wrong turn.

Kaiba, having gained control over his turret fit, stalked over to him, snatching the map out of his hands. "You were holding it upside down, moron."

"I thought we agreed to hold off on the insults," Joey replied, scowling as Kaiba handed the map back to him.

"That was involuntary," the taller teen amended, crossing his arms over his chest. "After all, you seem oblivious to the music and the random shifting scenes.

Joey shrugged. "I noticed, but...I'm just gonna go with it."

The blonde didn't say anything else, snapping the reins so Altivo would take off again. Kaiba didn't get a chance to stop him and ended up being left for a second time.

_Pioneers of maximum, audacity,  
Whose resumes,  
Show that we are just the team,  
To live where others merely dream..._

Around that time, Kaiba noted a small armadillo nearby. The small creature stared up at him with beady red eyes.

"What are you looking at?"

_Building up our head of steam..._

Suddenly, Joey appeared behind Kaiba again, but this time Altivo dunked his head down, scooping Kaiba off the ground and into the air. The brunette gasped, blinking in surprise when he landed behind Joey, facing in the opposite of direction of where the horse was taking them.

"Pretty cool trick, huh?" Joey asked, grinning back at him.

Kaiba groaned. "I hate you."

_On the trail we blaze..._

The two of them went through the jungle, never noticing the time passing as the song continued on, narrating their journey as they traveled to each point on the map.

_Changing legend into fact,  
We shall ride into history.  
Turning myth into truth,  
We shall surely gaze._

_On the sweet unfolding,  
Of an antique mystery.  
All will be revealed,  
On the trail we blaze..._

The sun had fallen over the horizon. The stars became the guide as they traveled to the next point on the map. Joey continued forward, enjoying himself a little too much as Kaiba brooded on, growling at the annoying music that continued on and on. His sanity was already at a breaking point, but no, someone just had to push him a little bit more.

Because while the song continued on, Kaiba ended up going through some crazy things.

First, while Joey hacked away at a particularly stubborn patch of vines, leaves, branches, and what not, Kaiba had completely lost his patience. He saw a stream nearby and thought, "_What the hey! I'll just wade through this small body of water and be way ahead of the dumb blonde."_

What Kaiba didn't realize until about an hour...or in this case, a line of a verse later, leeches had made a home in that stream and upon his entrance into the water they thought they'd latch on to him and make a meal out of his blood. Joey found himself having to pull the little things off of Kaiba's back. That in itself had not been very pleasant, especially when the leeches tried latching on to his skin too.

Joey had a mishap later. Upon giving Kaiba the map, Joey had tried jumping across a river where giant parana fish made their home. Definitely not the best idea. One leaped out of the water, biting him right on his behind.

"Gah!"

Kaiba had smirked, grateful for the change in luck.

Days probably passed, but the music confused their sense of time. Joey and Kaiba found themselves falling into a series of unfortunate events as they continued forward, following the map as best they could.

"Of all the nightmares I've had in my life," Kaiba began, "I've never experienced anything like this." He rolled his eyes as a torrent of thunder rumbled high over their heads. Their only shelter from the sudden thunderstorm was a thick and long leaf resting over their heads.

"Kaiba, you know by now that this is no nightmare," Joey muttered, shivering.

The two teens survived the storm with Altivo and the armadillo trailing behind them in their quest. Each day brought on new challenges, but no challenge was too great for them to overcome. They worked together, arguing and bickering all the way, but still working together for the greater good.

_The trail we blaze,  
Is a road uncharted,  
Through terra, incognita,  
To a golden shrine._

_No place for the traveler,  
To be fainthearted,  
We are part of a sumptuous,  
Grand design..._

Joey and Kaiba came to a waterfall, the rocks shaping it forming the face of a woman, the water trailing down like tears. Kaiba was holding the map now, a smile finally on his face. He was still slightly annoyed with all the music, but he was happy, seeing that the madness was drawing closer and closer to a close. He nodded at Joey, pointing ahead with his index finger as he marched ahead.

_Changing legend into fact,  
We shall ride into history.  
Turning myth into truth,  
We shall surely gaze._

_On the sweet unfolding,  
Of an antique mystery.  
All will be revealed..._

The two teens suddenly found themselves in a fog. They couldn't see where they were going, but they moved ahead, studying the map for the next destination. They were close, so very, very, VERY close. The city of gold couldn't be far off now.

Kaiba hesitated though, noticing the ground was unsteady. "Wheeler?"

Joey's eyes were on the map, which he held in his hands again. Altivo was trotting in front of him. "Yep, what's up? Annoyed with the music again?"

"Well, yes, but I wasn't going to mention that," Kaiba answered, trying to see his feet in the fog. "This ground is unsteady. We should backtrack and take another route or better yet, wait until the fog lifts so we can actually see where we're going."

"No way," Joey argued, continuing on even as he felt the ground wobble underneath him. "We're so close now! We could be just a single step away..."

A snapping sound suddenly echoed into the air, the ground underneath them giving way because of their combined weight.

"Uh oh!" Joey gasped, stumbling forward. "That doesn't feel good."

Kaiba stumbled back. "This is why you should listen to me. Clearly, I'm the more sensible out of the two of us."

"Yeah, that's coming from the guy who's constantly hallucinating," Joey snarled, more snapping sounds echoing into the air. Kaiba would have spit out a snarky comment on the blonde's lack of common sense, but that was when the branch they were standing on finally gave way. Kaiba, Joey, and Altivo plummeted down, their screams and neighs, rising up as they fell through trees. Eventually they landed on a dirt hill, the force of their landing causing them to roll at speeds that would cause most people to vomit.

_On the trail we blaze..._

Their bodies finally banged against a tall stone boulder. Joey and Altivo hit their heads on it, which knocked them both out immediately. Kaiba hit his head as well, but he only let out a grunt, his head falling back on the ground. For a while his world spun, a feeling of nausea beginning to rise in his throat, but he choked it down, swallowing in oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide until his vision settled.

Kaiba noted the giant rock in front of him, his eyes taking in the immaculate carvings etched on the surface. His vision was blocked, however, when the map suddenly landed over his face. The brunette sat up, pulling the map away from his face so he could stare at the last marking on the map...the stone tablet.

His sapphire gaze widened as he glanced between the rock and the picture on the map.

"Hmm...gah!"

Kaiba barely looked at Joey, his mind whirling as he began to piece together the horrible reality staring him in the face. Inwardly he cursed the dimensional witch, placing blame on her for this disappointment, no this outrage!

As Joey and Altivo regained conciousness, Kaiba balled up his fists.

"That...hurt," Joey mumbled, pushing himself onto his elbows. He shifted his gaze to the brunette, rubbing the side of his head. He paused seconds later though, seeing the horror-stricken expression on Kaiba's face.

"Kaiba..." he trailed off, unable to process the look in his eyes. Finding words to describe what he was seeing was the equivalent of him solving a trigonometry problem correctly...flat out impossible. Even so, Joey could conclude this without any trouble: something was terribly wrong.

Silence reigned supreme for a long while, each second causing the anxiety to rise in Joey's stomach. He kept biting down on his tongue, watching as Kaiba continued to stare at the map, his fingers shaking as he clenched the parchment tighter and tighter.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Kaiba uttered a single word.

"Joey..."

The blonde raised his eyebrows, his fears escalating. Kaiba never called him by his first name. It was like an unwritten rule between them. For the arrogant C.E.O. to suddenly address him like that sent a cold chill up his spine. The feeling reminded him of the seconds before his father would attack him when he was younger, the terror he used to feel...

"What's wrong?"

Kaiba shook his head, his gaze falling to the ground. The map slipped from his hands.

Joey reached out, grabbing the parchment. "What's wrong, Kaiba?" His brown eyes frantically gazed over the map. When Kaiba failed to answer, he laid the map down. "Answer me when I'm talking to ya rich-boy."

"This is...this tablet..." the brunette trailed off.

"Can the drama!" Joey shouted, roughly tugging on the front of Kaiba's shirt. "Start explaining!"

Kaiba's gaze was still on the ground. "We've found it. We've found Eldorado."

The words confused him. "What do you mean?" He glanced about, only seeing fog and the giant rock in front of them. "Where is it?"

Kaiba simply pointed at the rock.

Joey shook his head, releasing Kaiba from his grip before walking around the massive rock. He searched for any signs of the gold city aside from the rock.

"You're kidding," he breathed, the realization Kaiba had beginning to dawn on him also. "You mean...no..."

"Yes, Eldorado is this rock and...whatever treasure that's supposed to be here...isn't."

With that said, Kaiba rose to his feet, walking around Joey as he took the information in. Altivo rose on all fours, neighing softly as Kaiba raised his hand to pet his head. After a moment he pulled himself onto the horse's back, sighing in sorrow.

Joey pressed the palm of his hand against the rock. "Kaiba...are you saying that Yuuko's mission..."

"Was a set-up," Kaiba finished, guiding Altivo to stand before the blonde. "And if this isn't a dream...that means we're stuck in this time period with no way out, no way of returning home, or going back to the lives we knew. It's over."

"That can't be right," Joey argued, shaking his head. "Maybe Bakura...or Cortes...whatever his name is...he could have beaten us here!"

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "I doubt that. With the crazy music montage going on, I doubt Cortes would have dared to even step foot in that jungle back there." He chuckled darkly. "If he did, maybe he just took all the really big rocks."

Joey whirled around to face the brunette. "This isn't a time for sarcasm Kaiba! What you're saying...we can't actually be stuck here forever. Yuuko said it's a treasure not easily seen. We need to keep searching! I mean, we've come all this way and we should..."

"Get. On. The. Horse!" Kaiba snarled, dragging out each word like a separate sentence as he glared down at him. Joey staggered backward, his gaze falling down to the ground. A feeling of hopelessness started to well up inside him, causing his eyes to water slightly. He blinked, forcing the tears back, knowing they would serve no purpose. He had to stay positive, try to see what Kaiba couldn't. Deep down, Joey knew that the city had to be real...it just had to be.

Kaiba sighed, loosening his grip on the reins. He extended his hand out. "Joey...get on the horse."

For the first time in his life, Joey hated the sound of his name. His steps were slow as he took Kaiba's outstretched hand. He kept his gaze on the ground as Kaiba guided Altivo a few paces forward.

Joey and Kaiba were so lost in their despair that they never took the time to analyze the markings on the tall stone tablet. The markings formed a picture of a man kneeling down before two dragons and two men riding atop of a winged horse. If they had paid attention, they would have noticed the striking resemblance between them and the two men depicted.

Kaiba sighed again, moving the horse along slowly. "There's a path nearby. We can take it and head back to the beach. From there we can row back to civilization."

At that moment, fifty feet behind the rock and closing, two women rushed forward, one of them carrying a small bundle in her arms. The first woman had long dark locks of ebony hair. Her skin was a caramel color, the hue making her teal eyes stand out from her face. She wore a beige tube top with a teal blue horizontal design on the front and back. She wore a beige skirt, with the same teal design on it, only it was vertical with slits up the sides of it. On her ears she wore square-shaped sapphire earrings and gold bangles on both her arms. As she ran, dust rose up around her bare feet. She tripped, holding on to the small object wrapped in an emerald colored cloth.

The second woman was younger and a bit paler than the other. Her blue eyes were a bit lighter, clearly reflecting the fear the other failed to show in their expression. She wore the same type of outfit the previous woman wore, but instead of blue horizontal and vertical designs, her outfit consisted of green horizontal and vertical designs. On her ears she wore emerald hoop earrings and gold bangles on her right arm. Dust covered her bare feet as she followed behind her companion, helping her when she tripped.

Joey and Kaiba didn't know it yet, but these two mystery women were about to turn their whole journey upside down.

* * *

A/N: And that...ends this crazy chapter. There was a bit of everything in this one. Drama, comedy, action, and a little bit of mystery. I bet you guys can't guess who the mystery girls are. If you can, I'll be very impressed and maybe you will win a prize. What that prize will be is a mystery too...even to me. How about we just leave it as a guessing game for fun. Anyway, thanks to all my readers and reviewers. All of you are so awesome. Thanks so much! Have a wonderful day!


	7. Eldorado

A/N: Time to reveal who the mystery girls were. Light-Sakura, you guessed correctly with one of the characters. Nice job. If you want, since you've been supporting my stories for a good long while, you can ask me one question regarding any my stories that you've read as long as the question isn't asking for any spoilers to my mult-chapter stories. Any other question though is free game. Congratulations. Anyway, let's get onto the chapter.

Note: Also for the full effect of events later in the chapter, listen to the instrumental piece called "To Shibalba" by Hans Zimmer and John Powell. (It's from the movie soundtrack.) Don't worry, you'll know when it comes in.

Warnings: Slight breaking of the fourth wall...again.

Disclaimer: Too lazy to write one for this chapter.

Chapter 7

Eldorado

In the last scene of this story, our two heroes were about to turn away, having lost all hope of ever returning where they belonged. However, they were in for a rather pleasant or unpleasant, depending on how you want to look at it, surprise.

The woman with long ebony locks of hair turned, believing the tall stone that marked the entrance to Eldorado would serve as a good spot to hide for a few moments. The woman with shorter brown locks of hair followed, gasping for breath as she looked back.

What the two of them didn't expect was to run straight into Altivo.

"Aaaaah!" the first woman screamed, falling back on the ground. The second woman merely stumbled backward, her sapphire eyes widening as the treasure wrapped in emerald colored cloth fell out of her arms. She dived toward it, not bothering to gaze upon the two men riding the horse.

Kaiba blinked continuously, staring down as the caramel skinned woman stared up at him, cowering in fear.

Joey looked around him, gasping. "No way!"

"Ishizu..." Kaiba trailed off.

The woman blinked in confusion, the tension in her shoulders increasing at the sound of her name. How did the brunette stranger know it?

"Ishizu, we have to go!"

Joey's gaze turned to the second woman. His eyes widened upon seeing her. "Tea!?"

The woman in question turned, blinking. "Who's this Tea you speak of stranger?"

Kaiba glared at the blonde, whispering, "We have to remember that they aren't actually Ishizu and Tea." He snapped Altivo's reins, guiding the horse into a retreating movement. However, the young C.E.O. noted something in his peripheral vision. He turned, his eyes widening upon seeing another familiar face leading an army of muscle men holding sharp-looking spears.

"Wheeler, that's..." he trailed of as Joey followed his gaze.

"Is that Odion?"

Kaiba didn't want to find out, he snapped the reins again. "Altivo, get us out of here!"

Ishizu moved away, watching as the horse started in a gallop; however, three ebony skinned men appeared at that exact moment. They gasped as Kaiba snapped the reins once more, telling the beast to turn around, but Altivo panicked, rising on his hind legs as the natives began to circle them. The Odion look-alike was in the lead, his grass-green eyes reflecting his shock at this turn of events.

"Not good! Not good!" Joey screamed, holding on to Kaiba's shoulders as he gripped the reins tighter in his hands. Altivo finally lowered himself down on all fours again, stumbling backward as the men pointed their spears at them and the two women.

Odion shifted his gaze from the two strangers and on to Ishizu and the girl who looked like Tea. The latter was holding the wrapped object in her arms now, but a quick plan came to mind as she threw the object at Kaiba. He barely caught it in his hands, noting that Odion and the other natives had shifted their spears toward him. Without a word he tossed it down at Ishizu. The thing nearly fell out of her grip as she tossed it back to him. As soon as he caught it he threw it back and the cycle continued.

You could say that this was a long extended game of hot potato.

The natives went cross-eyed trying to keep up with the throws, their heads moving up and down over and over.

Kaiba, growing tired of the charade, turned to the natives, saying, "Listen..." he trailed off as the object bounced off his hard head. His sapphire eyes twitched, but he continued on despite his growing agitation toward the two women. "Ahem...hello." He pointed behind them. "Is this your rock?"

"What kind of question is that?" Joey blurted. "Of course it's their rock!"

"Shut up, I'm trying to reason with them," Kaiba whispered, glaring daggers into the blonde. "Ahem, my greatest apologies gentlemen, we were just looking..."

"We're tourists," Joey cut in, "To-ou-rists. We lost our group. May we go now..."

Odion responded by pointing his spear in Joey's face.

"Haaa...nice spear you've got there," the blonde stammered, sucking in a deep breath.

The ebony skinned, tattooed faced man grunted, motioning his spear to the right of the rock. He started walking, motioning with his hand for the duo to follow them. Kaiba and Joey would have protested, but the other natives were still pointing their spears at them. They weren't in any position to argue. Without a word, Kaiba snapped the reins, guiding Altivo in a forward trot. Two guards apprehended Ishizu and two others grabbed the Tea look-alike. One of the guards tried to take the bundle from Ishizu's hands, but she snatched her arms away, glaring and growling as they pulled her along. The Tea look-alike kept silent, sighing in defeat at another escape plan gone wrong.

Odion led the group to a waterfall half a mile away from the giant rock. Kaiba and Joey glanced around, their understanding completely thrown for a loop when Odion stepped through the waters. Kaiba hesitated to lead Altivo through it, but he did so anyway because of the other natives threatening them.

Past the water, the two teens found themselves inside of a massive and dark cavern. Stone pillars stood on either end of the place, a small path leading to a large gondola sitting on the still river.

Joey and Kaiba got off of the horse's back, slowly moving forward at the urging of the natives as Odion guided them to the large boat. With reluctance the two teens sat down inside. Altivo followed, the boat having more than enough room for him. Tea and Ishizu were guided into the boat right behind them. After a moment the two women made it a point to focus their glares on our two heroes.

Kaiba shrugged, and Joey sighed dejectedly before whistling a soft tune to himself. The sound echoed in the cavern, making the awkward silence even more awkward.

"Stop the whistling Wheeler," Kaiba whispered, willing his voice not to carry in the cavern. Joey nodded, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves instead.

The silence dragged on as Odion guided the boat across the river. Plans and scenarios raced through Kaiba's mind as he glanced about, looking for any possible escape route as Joey sat twiddling his thumbs to distract himself.

An hour passed, the silence echoing around them. Joey and Kaiba could hear every little sound from the swish of the waves when Odion rowed to the cracking of the stones high above their heads. The only other sound that broke the agonizing silence were the continuous sighs that fell from the Tea look-alike ever so often, but the sound echoed, carrying over into deeper parts of the cavern. It was enough to drive anyone crazy, but Joey and Kaiba managed to keep their cool despite this.

Then, after another thirty minutes passed, a light began to shine from behind them. The cloth that had been tightly wrapped around the treasure in Ishizu's arms began to slip. When the light touched it, the gold began to sparkle. Ishizu gasped, rushing to cover the object once more, but Kaiba and Joey had already noticed it. The two of them turned around, their gazes widening when they saw golden rays of light shining through thin vines. The water beneath the boat began to sparkle.

Joey exhaled. "No way..."

The vines started to part as the boat drifted closer. Hope rose within the two teens as the light intensified. After a moment, the vines parted completely, revealing the source of light; the sun.

"It's...it's..." Joey almost couldn't finish the sentence, but with Kaiba's help, they both whispered the name of the glorious place before them.

"Eldorado..."

Standing tall before them was the city of gold. Three temples rose up from the paved streets, the tallest temple standing in between the other two. The bricks of the temples were all made of gold with accents of blue and red coloring the tops of the structures. Smaller homes and buildings surrounded them, the red hues of the bricks beyond imagination. Natives rushed out of their homes upon the return of their brethren, but the smiles turned into frowns of shock upon seeing the two pale strangers entering their city. Kaiba took note of this as they continued to drift along the river while Joey stared at the two wide pillars on either side of them. They were tall and imposing, the designs on them forming faces. The wind shifted, blowing his blonde locks about as golden butterflies suddenly rushed past him, soaring up into the orange-colored sky.

Kaiba looked down into the clear sparkling river, gasping as massive multi-colored coy fish swam underneath the boat. Joey saw them too and smiled, thinking they'd make a great meal.

More people gathered on the streets and inclines lining the river. They stared and whispered much to Kaiba's discomfort. Joey didn't seem to notice though. He was too caught up in the beauty surrounding him. He had never seen anything like this. Seriously, there was gold everywhere!

The boat came to a stop after a moment. Odion signaled for the two teens to stay put as he jumped off the boat and on to the paved stone before him. He took off in a random direction, leaving the natives who had gathered confused and curious. Another guard, one that held a striking resemblance to Shadi, took off in the opposite direction. After pushing through the crowd, he darted up the marble steps leading to a tall house made of gold and sapphire colored brick.

Inside this house, a caramel skinned man with spiky tri-colored hair and violet eyes sat, playing with two of his seven children. Next to him sat his wife, a woman of the same skin tone and mid-length dark brown hair. She was leaning her head against her husband's shoulder, smiling in content when the Shadi look-alike entered their home.

"Chief!" he shouted, rushing to the man's side. He didn't wait for the other man to address him, instead choosing to whisper the news into the chief's ear. Violet eyes widened, the smile on the man's face slowly sinking into a concerned frown.

"When did they arrive?" he questioned. The chief's wife lifted her head from off his shoulder, sighing in sadness. The two children flocked to her, falling into her arms as they giggled. They were completely unaware of what was going on.

Meanwhile, the Odion look-alike traveled to a temple. As he entered, he saw his master kneeling in front of a stone tablet, spouting some mystic mumbo jumbo as smoke rose from an iron cauldron in front of him.

Odion rushed to his side, whispering his news. The man stopped chanting, smiling a sinister smile as he gently shoved his servant aside. His lilac colored eyes widened on delight as he gazed on at the tablet of the gods.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Joey and Kaiba find themselves riding on Altivo again as the soldiers of Eldorado's army point their spears at them. Ishizu and Tea's look-alike are guided in the same way accept that they didn't receive the luxury of getting to ride a horse down the street. The civilians stared on cautiously, whispering about the two strangers riding on a strange animal they had never seen before.

Joey sighed, pulling on Altivio's reins so he'd move a bit more slowly. "Well Kaiba, working with you wasn't too bad of an experience." He glanced over his shoulder. "Thanks for not being a complete butt."

"If that's a goodbye speech, you're doing a horrible job of it Wheeler," Kaiba replied, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Besides, we don't know if these people are going to outright kill us or not."

"Judging on the ominous music playing in the background," Joey began, "I'd say we're pretty much doomed Kaiba."

"And judging by your face...I'd say you're an idiot."

"Kai..."

"Behold!" a voice shouted, cutting into Joey's sentence before he could really say anything. The two teens stared up at a man standing on a level plane of the tallest temple. He had nearly shoulder length blonde hair and lilac colored eyes. He wore a red sleeveless poncho lined in gold thread, a rope necklace with a teal blue square pendant hanging from it, a red man-skirt thing that was custom for the Indians back in the day trimmed in the same gold thread with a longer piece of fabric hanging down from the middle, gold bands around his wrists, sandals on his feet, and gold square earrings on his ears. A red line had been painted underneath his eyes and over the bridge of his nose, making him look like a primal animal.

"As the prophesies foretold," he continued, "the time of judgement, is now!"

Joey swallowed the lump in his throat. "Kaiba...that guy looks like Marik."

The words had been whispered, but Ishizu caught them. She narrowed her gaze on the two men riding on the horse. Something wasn't right about them in her eyes. With a groan she glanced at her companion.

"Anzu," she whispered, leaning toward her friend. "Listen, when the time is right. Follow my lead."

"Don't I always?" Anzu asked.

"Just do it."

"Fine."

As this little conversation was going on, the chief came behind the Marik look-alike. Kaiba and Joey both gasped upon seeing him.

"That's the pharaoh..." Joey trailed off, his mouth hanging open in astonishment. "This is just getting weird now."

Kaiba nodded. No other response would have been adequate for the situation.

Marik's look-alike smirked, abruptly lifting his hands into the air. The force of it caused the flaps of his short poncho to rise, revealing his chest as he yelled up into the heavens. "Citizens, did I not predict that the gods would come to us."

Whacky Marik look-alike say what now?

Kaiba and Joey turned their heads around, looking for someone else, but when no one else behind them turned around-except to look at them-they looked at each other, blinking before staring back at Marik as he clamored down the stone stairs, bowing as he addressed them, "My lords, I am Tzekel Khan, your devoted high priest and speaker for the gods."

Joey waved, smiling nervously as Pharoah Atem's look-alike followed at Tzekel Khan's heels. "Hey."

The tri-colored man eyed the two of them suspiciously despite the smile on his face. His chest was bare, but he wore an emerald green cape around his shoulders, the long man skirt he wore was the same color, lined in gold thread. He wore sandals on his feet and gold arm bands up the length of his arms. Around his forehead was a crown that resembled the one from ancient Egypt. "I am Chief Atem. What names may we call you?"

Kaiba was about to speak, but Joey beat him to the punch, dramatically placing a hand on his chest as he introduced himself.

"I am Joseph Wheeler." He started to get off the horse, but his foot caught on the reins, causing him to stand with one leg curled up as Altivo's jaw dropped with the forced movement.

Kaiba stepped onto the ground gracefully. "I am Seto Kaiba."

Joey nodded, struggling to unlatch his foot from the reins. He finally gave up, opting to pose again as he said, "And they call us Joseph and Kaiba."

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Just call him Joey."

Joey groaned, having finally gotten himself out from the entanglement. He petted the top of Altivo's head as an apology.

Tzekel Khan blinked in confusion for a moment, but he recovered quickly. "Your arrival has been greatly anticipated."

"My lords, how long will you be staying in Eldorado?" Atem questioned.

"_If we're lucky it won't be very long at all_," Kaiba thought, narrowing his gaze on him. "_The less time we spend here the better._"

Tzekel Khan glared around the horse, his eyes catching sight of the two women. Ishizu grabbed Anzu's hand, motioning for her to move, but the guards blocked their path as the high priest came forward.

"Well, well, if it isn't my sister and her friend," he muttered, tightly gripping Ishizu's wrist. He pulled her forward as another guard shoved Anzu into step behind her. Tzekel Khan pulled Ishizu's hand up above her head, snatching the bundle away from her. The fabric fell to the ground, revealing a small statue head made from gold and emeralds.

His lilac eyes turned to the two teens. "You captured the temple thieves." He snickered as Ishizu attempted to rip herself from his grasp. Anzu was in a similar situation, both of her hands having been forced behind her back.

"How would you have us punish them?"

Ishizu shook her head. "No, no, no, no, no! My lord, brother, we are not thieves!" She locked her gaze with Kaiba's, her thoughts wild as she quickly made up an excuse. "You see..." she trailed off, pointing at the brunette. "The gods, sent me and Anzu a vision to bring them tribute from the temple to guide them here."

Anzu nodded. "It's true, that's why we did it." She sighed dramatically, staring up at the two teens. "Our only wish is to serve the gods."

"Yes brother, you know I would never steal from the temple unless it was for a good reason," Ishizu pleaded, staring back at Kaiba with a glare that said, "_Go along with this or I will find a way to kill you!_"

Kaiba wasn't threatened in the least, but he nodded. "Release them."

The crowd of natives gasped in surprise ,as did Tzekel Khan, but the shocked look on his face didn't last long. He loosened his grip on Ishizu's wrist, allowing her freedom as he placed the golden object back in her hands. "Very well then. Just be sure to return this to its rightful place sister."

"Yes, of course brother." She motioned for Anzu to follow with her head.

The two of them sprinted off in the direction of the temple, thanking their lucky stars that the strangers were nice guys.

"Good work there Kaiba," Joey commented, watching as they ran off.

Chief Atem stepped forward before Kaiba could respond. "My lords, why now do you choose to visit us."

Tzekel Khan scoffed, turning to the chief in agitation. "Enough! You do not question the gods."

"That's right!" Joey exclaimed, enjoying the authority role just a bit too much. "Do not question us!" He raised his hands high above his head. "Not unless you want us to unleash our awesome and terrible power, and you don't want that."

"Yes we do!"

Joey stopped in his tracks upon seeing the excited expression on Tzekel Khan's face. "You...do?"

Kaiba slapped his palm on his forehead. "_Imbecile!_"

"Of course we do!" Tzekel Khan confirmed giddily, glaring over at the shorter chief. "Visit your wrath upon this non believer. Show us the truth of your divinity."

"Divinity," Kaiba repeated, smirking despite the rage welling up inside him. He gripped Joey's shoulder tightly, causing the blonde to stiffen considerably. "One moment if you will."

He roughly turned his companion around as they took some steps away from the two men. Once they were out of hearing range, Kaiba snapped.

"Wheeler, you know that voice people have that tells them to quit when they're ahead?" he questioned, not bothering to wait for an answer when he glared at the blonde. "You don't have one!"

"I'm sorry," Joey replied. "I just got carried away..."

"Like that isn't already obvious!"

Joey sighed. "Look, maybe we should just tell the truth and beg for mercy..."

"Are you out of your freaking mind Wheeler?" Kaiba questioned, interrupting him again. "We'd be butchered alive."

"Yes, but they're getting suspicious," Joey pointed out, glancing back at the men and the natives surrounding them on every side. "And if we don't come up with some sort of random cosmic event..."

As all this was going on, a volcano was beginning to rumble in the distance. The natives stared up at it, waiting for the so called "gods" to stop it, but the two of them were still arguing quietly to themselves, never knowing that the thing was only a thread away from erupting. Tzekel Khan and the Chief were watching the volcano closely, fear rising within them upon seeing that time was running out for their city.

"Don't you have a plan?" Joey asked.

Kaiba had both his hands on the sides of his head. "I'm trying." His mind was working on overdrive to come up with something, but with the horse neighing, the volcano threatening to erupt, and the stupid armadillo that had followed them,running around his legs, he couldn't gather up a single coherent thought.

"There's too many distractions," he muttered, his eyes threatening to bulge out of his head. "I can't think."

Joey glanced up at the volcano, the smoke was rising out of it faster now. "Kaiba come on! You've got to think of something now."

Kaiba let out a gutteral growl, grabbing Joey by the shoulders before using one of his hands to smack the blonde's forehead over and over. "Why don't you think of something, huh? You do have a brain of your own, that is unless your just hollow up there."

"Ouch..gah...hey...Kaiba!"

The taller teen had been driven to insanity by that point. There was no stopping him. He continued to smack Joey over and over, telling him to think, think, think! Meanwhile, smoke billowed over the volcano, people screamed in terror, and the two leaders of the city feared that this might actually be the end of Eldorado.

However, as rage built up within Joey a warm feeling filled his chest. He felt something, almost as if his body were surging with power, enough power to not only stop Kaiba's relentless attack on his head, but stop the volcano as well...

But he was angry more than anything else. He just wanted the jerk hitting him to stop.

So with a shove, Joey closed his eyes and screamed up into the heavens.

"STOP!"

The word echoed into the air over and over. The natives turned to the volcano, watching as the steam suddenly retracted, the sky returning to its orange color instead of black. Silence filled the air with only a small puff of smoke escaping the volcano before the rumbling stopped completely.

Tzekel Khan, Atem, and all the natives gasped at the sight of it. Their shock was completely lost on the two teens though for they were still staring up at the volcano too.

"What the...how did you do that Wheeler?" Kaiba questioned.

Joey shrugged. "You're asking the wrong guy."

There was shift in the air, causing Joey and Kaiba to turn back around. They both took in a breath, their gazes widening as all the natives kneeled on the ground before them on every side.

With a wide smile on his face, Joey stuck his arms out in a valiant pose. Kaiba hesitated, but followed in Joey's lead as the blonde soaked up the glory of the moment.

As Odion's look-alike began to rise, Joey addressed him, pointing as he said, "Don't make me start it up again, cause I will."

The man bowed back down so quickly it was a wonder how he didn't get whiplash.

Tzekel Khan bowed his head as the two men approached. He glanced back at the Chief, mentally advising him to do the same.

Atem stepped forward, bowing his head with a scowl on his face.

"Oh, mighty lords," Tzekel Khan breathed, bowing again when the two teens stopped walking. "Come, let me show you to your temple."

Joey grinned. "Alright, a temple!"

Kaiba smacked the blonde in the back of the head. "Shut up."

"Gah! Kaiba!"

Tzekel Khan ignored their banter, turning to find Atem standing in the way of his path to the temple. He smirked, looking down on him both figuratively and literally as he spoke.

"Step aside."

Chief Atem glared at the high priest, but he moved aside anyway, watching as he started up the stairs with the two "gods" on his heels. He began to follow, but lingered a bit, staring back at the frightened people who were just raising their heads off the ground. His gaze softened as he looked at them, promising with his eyes that everything would be alright.

Turning away he started up the stairs to the temple.

* * *

A/N: And that ends the chapter! This one was really fun to write too. In case anyone missed it, below is the character line-up. Some characters are not listed yet because their names have not been revealed within the story. (One example is Odion who will be called something different in this story.) Thanks for reading and reviewing everyone. You guys rock.

Hernan Cortes = Yami Bakura

Baron Santiago = Valon

Raphael Gomez = Raphael

David Grant = Alister

Ishizu = Ishizu

Anzu = Tea

Tzekel Khan = Marik and Yami Marik later on

Cheif Atem = Atem a.k.a. Yami Yugi


	8. Beauty and the Geeks

A/N: The fun has just begun! Now that we're in the Eldorado setting, things can really take off into the sky! Get ready for awesomeness! Thanks again to all the people reading and reviewing this. You guys are so cool! I appreciate the support.

Disclaimer: This chapter contains a direct quote from Yu-Gi-Oh abridged. It does not belong to me and is only put in this chapter to make you laugh.

Chapter 8

Beauty and the Geeks

Loud panting echoed into the air as Tzekel Khan, Chief Atem, Kaiba, Joey, and Altivo, continued their long trek up the stone steps of the gigantic golden temple.

I'm sure you can guess which one in that list is panting the loudest.

"Can't...breathe," Joey mumbled, crawling up the steps with Altivo moving behind him in a similar pace. Kaiba continued onward, barely feeling the effects of the long climb despite the exhaustion that was threatening to overtake him. Spending days on end with Joey had really drug him through the ringer to say the least. The mental strain alone was more than enough to kick him in the butt.

As for the two natives, they climbed ahead of Kaiba, moving up the stairs without any problems whatsoever.

"_Oh, my God_," he thought, his expression still stoic despite the sweat beginning to gather at his brow. "_So many stairs...I'd like to find whoever invented stairs and push him down these stairs just to show him how stupid stairs are. Then his legs will be broken and he will no longer be able to climb the stairs anymore. It'll be ironic and then his wife will leave him and go be with the man who invented the elevator because everyone knows that elevators are much sexier than stairs...and oh my God we're not even close to being at the top yet, why are there so many stairs..._"

"Kaiba, haven't you had that inner mantra before?" Joey questioned suddenly, still panting loudly.

Kaiba stiffened, but kept the mask of nonchalance on his face. "When did you become a mind reader Wheeler?"

"I didn't," Joey replied, pulling himself inch by inch as Kaiba and the others drifted further and further away. "I was just having that inner mantra in my head, about how the inventor of stairs should be pushed down these stairs..."

"You should be pushed down these stairs Wheeler," Kaiba cut in, "which would be comical because we've climbed these stairs for over an hour now. Maybe I should push you down. I need a good laugh."

Joey groaned, pushing himself up to his knees as he continued moving forward like a snail. "I hate your abridged personality."

"And I hate you, period."

"If I had the energy," the blonde panted, "I would so unleash my Brooklyn rage."

Kaiba stopped, barely inclining his gaze over his shoulder. "Wheeler, if you ever sing that Lady Gaga parody again, I will murder you."

After another thirty minutes, Tzekel Khan and Chief Atem reached the top of the stairs with Kaiba only ten feet behind them. As for Joey, he took a minute or so longer, breathing heavily as he crawled over the last step, his mouth dry as sweat poured from his brow like a waterfall.

Upon hearing the gasping noises, the high priest and the chief turned around. Kaiba stopped, standing tall. He glanced behind him and smirked, nearly laughing out loud upon seeing that Joey had shakily risen to his feet, looking perfectly calm and collected even though his face was beginning to turn blue from holding in his breath. Atem noted that the blonde was exhausted beyond measure, but Tzekel Khan was too caught up in his excitment to care. He figured that the blonde's sense of humor was beyond his comprehension.

Yeah, and we thought Joey was the dumb one.

After the two natives turned back around, Joey exhaled, his shoulders slumping over a bit as he dragged his feet forward.

"_Never again_," he thought, glancing behind him as Altivo's head appeared, "_never again._"

Tzekel Khan and Chief Atem came to the doorway of the temple. With steady hands they pulled back the curtain, revealing the interior for Kaiba and Joey to see. Red brick pillars stood on either side of the opening with nuggets of gold lodged into them. The floor was a made of smooth beige tiles. Straight in front of them stood a small pool filled with clear blue water. Beyond that stood two immaculate golden thrones waiting for them. Colorful sofas and plants lined the perimeter of the room, giving the temple a very festive look.

Joey spun in circles, his eyes unable to take in everything at once. Kaiba shrugged, unimpressed by the display.

Tzekel Khan stepped into the temple behind the two teens. "To commemorate your arrival, I propose a reverent ceremony at dawn."

Kaiba inclined his gaze backward, vague interest showing in his eyes.

"And perhaps, I can prepare a glorious feast for you tonight," Chief Atem added, pushing his way into the temple.

"Which would you prefer?"

Joey turned immediately at the prospect of food, ready to jump on that offer, but Kaiba stopped him. "Both is good."

Tzekel Khan and Chief Atem blinked a bit before bowing again. "My lords." After saying this they both disappeared from the room, closing the curtain behind them. Once outside again, they made their way to the stone steps once more. The taller of the two snickered, smiling as he stared up into the sky.

"And so dawns the age of the jaguar." Tzekel Khan laughed some more, starting down the steps as Atem shook his head in disappointment. "Happy New Year chief!"

Atem sighed. "It'll be a long one." He shook his head some more, grumbling a bit as he followed behind the high priest.

Back inside, Joey was still taking everything in. He sat down on one of the sofas, staring at the golden thrones in front of him. Kaiba stood nearby, his gaze traveling to the thrones also.

Without warning the two of them started laughing.

"I can't believe this!" Joey exclaimed, clutching his stomach as he leaned back on the cushions of the sofa. It was a while before he could speak again. "Kaiba...they actually think we're gods!"

Kaiba sat down next to him, unable to control the fits of laughter that involuntarily spilled out of his mouth. "It's an entire city of suckers..." he trailed off, the stupidity of the situation overriding his sense of self-control. "We just have to keep this up long enough to find Yuuko's treasure and get out here."

"In the meantime..." Joey chuckled some more, "we'll be living like kings." With that said he jumped off the couch. "This is gonna be sweet..."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that boys."

Kaiba and Joey snapped their gazes toward the new voices. Their eyes widened upon seeing Ishizu and Tea's look-alike, Anzu standing side by side.

"Hello," Anzu began, smirking as she climbed down a small set of steps toward the two boys. "Nice place you got here."

Joey pointed at the girl. "Depart mortal before we strike you with a lightning bolt."

"We're so scared," Ishizu replied, following behind Anzu as she carried the treasure they'd stolen earlier to its rightful place.

"Beware the wrath of the gods...eeek eek!"

Kaiba rolled his eyes, leaning his head back on the pillows. "There goes our cover and any chance we had of going home."

"Eh, you don't have to worry about us," Anzu stated, slipping the treasure into its niche in the wall. "Save the "wrath of the gods" thing for the high priest. Kay."

Ishizu plopped down next to Kaiba, flipping her raven locks over her shoulders. "You've managed to fool my brother so far. I'd be impressed, but my brother is a complete moron."

Anzu giggled as Joey attempted that clicking noise again. He followed after her, trying and failing to scare her as she plopped down on one of the gold thrones.

"Wheeler, stop with that," Kaiba groaned, rising off the couch. "It's pointless. We've been caught."

Joey's expression fell, the clicking sound falling flat on his lips.

Ishizu let out a dramatic sigh. "Anzu already told you to not to worry." She smirked as Kaiba turned to glare down at her. "Our only wish is to serve the gods. Remember?"

"And just how do you intend to do that?" Kaiba questioned, raising an eyebrow at the caramel skinned woman.

Anzu decided to answer for her friend. "If you two want the gold then you don't want to get caught, right?" She winked at Joey. "It's clear that the two of you are going to need help in that department."

Kaiba scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "You were caught earlier today. What makes the two of you think you can help us?"

"Ck-ck," Ishizu answered, mocking the sound Joey had been making earlier while making air quotes with her left hand. "Are you serious?"

Altivo neighed from the corner of the room. He at least thought it was a good joke.

Joey groaned, placing his hands into his pockets. "Okay, so who are you two?"

Ishizu laughed, rising up from the plush couch. "Don't you two already know?" She narrowed her gaze, watching as Kaiba's sapphire eyes followed her movements. "I am Ishizu."

Anzu crossed her legs, staring up at Joey. "You called me Tea, but my name is Anzu." She hopped up from her place then, pinching Joey's right cheek which earned an immediate growl from him. "You'll be sure to get it right next time, won't you...Joseph is it?"

"Joey."

"What's your angle here?" Kaiba asked, walking around the small pool in the middle of the floor. Ishizu sat back down, sighing aloud as she answered his question. "There's no angle at all Lord Kaiba." She let a small chuckle slip past her full lips. "We want in."

Joey blinked in confusion. "In?"

"On the scam brainiac," Anzu stated, placing both her hands on her hips.

"But this isn't a scam..."

"Why?" Kaiba cut in, stopping Joey from revealing everything. Better to be caught in one area than in all areas of the matter.

"So we can get out," Ishizu clarified.

Joey raised an eyebrow. "Kaiba, didn't she just say they wanted in?"

"They want in on our scam so they can leave the city," the brunette explained, inwardly calling the blonde an idiot once again.

"Why would you two want to do that?" Joey asked, his gaze shifting between the two women.

Anzu smiled, skipping across the stones around the pool to stand by her friend's side. "Yes Ishizu, why are we trying so hard to leave our beloved city?" There was a mischievous glint to her sapphire eyes.

Ishizu narrowed her gaze on her before addressing Joey and Kaiba. "You two aren't the only ones who dream of better things...of adventure. You've got reasons and we have ours."

"Now come on," Anzu complained. "That's not the only reason Ishizu."

Aquamarine orbs locked on sapphire. "Drop it Anzu..."

"Not a chance," the brunette girl chimed in, sitting down on the arm of the sofa. "Ishizu wants to leave because Tzekel Khan is forcing her to marry the Chief's brother, Mahad. She wants to escape to find true love while I wish to see new worlds. Seriously, this place gets boring..."

"Let's not make this personal okay," Ishizu interrupted, rising from the couch with a pained expression on her face. "This is a business arrangement."

Anzu shrugged. "In any case, when you two are ready to go back to..." she trailed off thinking for a moment, "...wherever you came from. We're coming too."

"No way," Joey replied.

"Not a chance," Kaiba echoed, shaking his head.

Ishizu turned away, walking past the taller teen. "Alright, fine...you'll be just fine on your own." She glanced back at Anzu. "Isn't that right?"

"Oh, sure." She rose up from her seated position, following behind Ishizu. "After all, I'm sure they know the proper rituals for blessing a tribute, the holiest days on the calendar..." she let the sentence hang as she walked up to Joey again, pinching his cheek once more just to annoy him.

Her sapphire eyes bored into his chocolate ones. "And I'm sure you know all about Shibalba." She chuckled, letting her fingertips rest on his chest as she winked at him. "Good luck."

Joey blinked, a blush rising on his cheeks. She was certainly different from Tea.

Ishizu barely glanced back at them. "I look forward to your execution."

The two women walked toward the doorway, counting the seconds on their fingers as they waited for one of the two men to respond.

Kaiba warned his companion with a glare, but Joey went after them anyway. "Hold on a second you two."

Ishizu and Anzu turned around as Joey rushed toward them. Kaiba followed, his footsteps measured as he studied the two familiar women. He was slightly intrigued by them, but he wasn't about to say such aloud.

Anzu and Joey locked gazes, both seeing a challenge in the other's eyes.

"Do we have a deal then?" Anzu asked, extending her hand.

Joey was about to speak, but Kaiba stopped him, shoving him back slightly. "We'll wait and see how it all goes."

Anzu frowned at the interruption. "Uh, huh. Hey, Ishizu, don't you think these boys want those little dotted squares back."

"Little dotted squares?"

Ishizu smirked, opening her clenched hand and revealing the two red dice Yuuko had given Kaiba before their journey started. The brunette stood there, his eyes widening as he reached into his pockets, looking for the dice that were no longer there.

He groaned as he snatched the dice out of her hand. "When did you get those?"

"Where was she keeping them?"

Anzu took that opportunity to smack Joey across the face.

Kaiba continued to stare into Ishizu's eyes, wondering just what it was about her that always intrigued him. Back in their time, it had been the same thing. Though her beliefs were worlds away from his own, he still found her intriguing. She was a person that challenged him, made him question everything he did, even convinced him with the help of Mokuba to help Yugi defeat her crazy brother in his tournament after he'd lost.

Ishizu turned, nodding to her best friend. "They'll need to change for the feast."

Anzu smiled, pushing past the two boys and into a room next to the one they were in. "Be right back."

Joey tilted his head a bit as Ishizu took her leave. "I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with this."

"Me and you both," Kaiba stated, sighing when Anzu returned with the more traditional garments in her hands.

"You two put these on," she ordered as she sat down on a stone bench by the doorway Ishizu had just left through. Joey didn't notice that she'd stayed at first, having already pulled his vest off and his shirt over his head. Kaiba rolled his eyes as he observed the girl, watching as she stared at Joey's exposed torso.

"Do you mind?" he asked. Joey turned around and nearly screamed upon seeing Anzu still sitting there.

Anzu shrugged, a blush clearly on her face. "No...oh, oh...right you guys probably need privacy." She stumbled to her feet, rushing out of the doorway and making sure to close the curtain behind her. Kaiba glared at the spot she'd been sitting in, barely turning as he pulled his shirt over his head, never knowing that Anzu was still peeking through a small gap in the curtain.

"_Hehehe,_" she thought, her face darkening. "_That's right boys..."_

Ishizu suddenly came up behind her, pinching the girl's ear. "Come on Anzu."

"But..but...aw man!"

* * *

"I feel like a moron."

"What are you talking about Kaiba? We look great!"

Kaiba seriously doubted that. There weren't any mirrors around, but upon glancing down at himself, he could see that the get-up he was sporting was more than ridiculous.

He glared over at the blonde, watching as he struggled with keeping the tall blades of grass on the makeshift crown from falling over. Over his shoulders he wore a red bib looking thing trimmed in gold, which revealed most of his chest. Around his waist he wore a matching man skirt with a purple scarf like thing hanging down the front of it as was custom, but it still looked ridiculous. On his arms he wore gold arm bands, red square earrings on his ears, and his feet were left bare. Kaiba wore a similar outfit, except the color scheme was blue and green.

"We look like a circus act Wheeler." he muttered, a blush rising on his cheeks. "I don't like this."

"I don't like this either," Joey replied, "but we're pretending to be gods Kaiba. It comes with the territory."

The brunette groaned again, cracking his knuckles as he spoke. "And another thing...those two are trouble Wheeler. We're better off staying far away from them."

"Huh?" Joey questioned, "but..."

"Remember the little voice Wheeler?" Kaiba asked, turning to face the blonde again. "Let's pretend for a second that you have one. What would it say about Ishizu and Anzu?"

"Um...Ishizu and Anzu are...pretty?"

The brunette let out a sigh. "That's not the answer I want to hear out of you Wheeler. Try again."

Joey shrugged. "I guess...Ishizu and Anzu are...off-limits?"

Kaiba clapped his hands mockingly. "Bravo. You actually have a brain in that hollow head."

"Don't push me man. We've been through a lot in the last...how long has it been?"

"It's been..." Kaiba trailed off, his eyebrows crunching together as if lost deep in thought. "Honestly, I don't know..."

"_Three weeks..._"

Kaiba and Joey gasped, their gazes flying to the ceiling of the temple.

"_What? You didn't know I could talk to you at any time? I'm responsible for the two of you. Did you expect me to not be watching children?_"

"Yuuko," Kaiba muttered, clenching his fists as he glanced about, looking for her. "How is it that three weeks have passed in this world already?"

"Yeah," Joey added, "start explaining lady!"

Yuuko sighed. "_Such rude children, but very well. You spent three days on Cortes' ship, a week out in the ocean, and though the random song bit made everything move faster, you spent about a week searching for this city. Now that you are here, you are left with exactly seven days to complete your mission. If you don't...you'll be trapped forever..._"

"We haven't forgotten that detail," Kaiba growled, cutting her off. "Why don't you just tell us what this treasure is so we can go back to our own world?"

Joey nodded in agreement. "We've learned our lesson now, so just help us out Ms. Yuuko."

"_I'm afraid I can't_," Yuuko answered. "_Only you will know what the true treasure of Eldorado is. That is part of the test my children. You must discover what the treasure is on your own. Remember it is not of gold or of glory. It is a treasure not easily seen. The true treasure will show you the path leading home..._"

"Can't you give us another clue!" Joey shouted.

Yuuko's voice didn't answer. Silence met them which meant that the witch was done speaking to them on the matter. She had done her part in telling them how much time they had left to figure all this out. Knowing that seven days was all that stood between them going home and an eternity in the past was a frightening thing for both of them, but neither could admit it to themselves or to the other.

And even if they could, they weren't going to. Not now.

"It's time to face the natives," Kaiba stated after a moment, not a trace of any emotion crossing his features as he marched toward the doorway. Joey followed behind, choosing to keep silent while forcing a smile. One way or another, they had a mission to complete. Failure wasn't an option.

Besides, it couldn't be THAT difficult to find the true treasure, right?

* * *

A/N: And so, we have introduced crazy characters and an even crazier scenario. Joey and Kaiba have one week to complete their mission now, for Yuuko can only stall time for so long. Will our heroes be able to find the true treasure of Eldorado in time? What is the true treasure exactly? If it's not gold or glory, then what could it be? Find out in the coming chapters! Thanks for reading everyone!


	9. It's Tough To Be a God

A/N: Um...what to say about this chapter...I really don't know. You'll have to read to find out.

Warnings: The fourth wall may be toppled multiple times at the beginning of this chapter. The authoress is not responsible for any damage caused by this. Also, some characters may get a little out of character for the sake of being crazy hilarious. Jumbled up words will be common. You've been forewarned so if you happen to bust your gut or appendex, or any bodily organ from over extended laughter don't even think about trying to sue. I warned you. Proceed at your own risk.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh or anything related to it. I also do not own anything from The Road to Eldorado.

Chapter 9

It's Tough To Be a God

Seto Kaiba was having that turret fit again. Anyone worth their salt knows that when this happens...

"I'm not doing this Wheeler," Kaiba stated, watching as Chief Atem gazed up at them from the ground. He turned, using his hands to instruct a makeshift orchestra of some sort with the natives. The music began, and the young C.E.O. knew all too well where this was going. After all, this part of the story was completely scripted, meaning that he and the mongrel were supposed to start singing a song right about now.

That wasn't going to happen. Kaiba didn't care about what he'd have to do to get around it, whether it be to kill Wheeler or the crazy authoress putting all this into play, but he wasn't having it. He'd rather be thrown into a sea of ravenous sharks with cuts all over his body. He'd rather have his soul stolen by some crazy madman, whether it be Pegasus, Dartz, or some other off the wall lunatic, he really didn't care about specifics. He'd rather watch Mokuba be stabbed over and over again...

Okay scratch that last one, he'd never be desperate enough to want to see that, but you all get the point anyway, right? Kaiba would rather do almost anything else than what the script of this story was telling him to do.

"We have to sing Kaiba," Joey argued, pushing against Kaiba's back with his palms, trying to make him move forward but getting nowhere fast. "The readers out there are expecting it. If we don't they'll be disappointed."

Kaiba shook his head over and over. "I don't care! I am not subjecting myself to this. I still have pride and dignity. I have a reputation to uphold Wheeler."

"Yeah, a reputation as a stick in the mud," Joey muttered, still pushing the taller teen. "Just go with it Kaiba. Relax and have a little fun."

"This is not about fun," Kaiba growled, taking a shaky step down the first of the stairs. "We have a mission to complete. This is a waste of time and energy!"

"But they have food! I'm starving man!"

"Food, food, food, that's all I hear out of you!"

Joey rolled his eyes, guiding Kaiba slowly down the steps. He noted that the chief was glaring back at them now, probably wondering what the heck was taking them so long to climb down the stairs and start with the singing. They'd already missed their cue five times already.

"I'm drawing the line Wheeler," Kaiba roared, pushing Joey away from him. The blonde stumbled back a bit, but thankfully he didn't fall. The results would have been catastrophic to his already damaged noggin.

Kaiba threw his hands up in the air as he screamed, "I am not about sing a silly song with overrated lyrics, do a dance, ride on Altivo as he gallops across a fire pit, or deal with those natives kneeling down before us like pathetic mind slaves. To do any of the above things is just plain aggravating to me!" His eyes turned bloodshot as the turret fit intensified to a level that begged for his placement in a mental hospital. "I am only going to eat the feast, understand? You can sing and dance like an idiot if you want to, but I for one am not taking part. Thatauthoresscanjustskipthis sceneforallIcare..." Kaiba trailed off, noticing that his words had suddenly jumbled together. "What'sgoingon?"

Joey shrugged, but the movement was barely visible as he spoke. "Idon'tknowbutwesoundallchipmunky!" The blonde laughed, the sound so quick and high-pitched that Kaiba took an involuntary step away from him. To anyone else the laugh would have been hysterical, but to the brunette, it was just plain creepy.

Suddenly, the two teens found themselves moving too quickly down the stairs. The music moved faster, the dances moved faster, the singing that eventually came from Joey's mouth moved at a speed that wasn't even discernible. Kaiba tried to keep up, his own mouth moving without his permission, but his eyes started whirling round and round and round as the shifting scenes spun him like a trailer trapped in a tornado. All the while, he was still singing in that chipmunk voice.

The whirling intensified, making both the C.E.O. of Kaiba Corp. and the underappreciated, underdog duelist extremely dizzy. It was comical, watching the two of them scramble across the grounds of the area like a pair of drunk starfish...good heavens the authoress is definitely starting run out of ideas for this story. Seriously, drunk starfish? The only image that can possibly come to mind from that simile is that of Patrick Star from the Spongebob Squarepants cartoon. Of course, the woman could care less about the sanity of her readers at this point. She was having too good a time laughing at her victims. She felt like a puppet master, pulling the strings on all the unfortunate events falling upon our poor heroes.

But enough about her...or me rather.

After another moment or two, the whirling finally slowed and then abruptly ended. Joey's face turned green as he sang out the last few lines of lyrics at a normal speed.

"So...sign on two new gods for paradise..." the blonde trailed off, passing out as the words fell from his lips. If not for being exhausted, the poor guy probably would have thrown up.

Kaiba growled, his eyes still spinning as he stumbled a bit to his right. "Pa-ra-dise." On cue, he fell forward, passing out in time with the blonde.

The festivities continued around them, everyone else apparently oblivious to the fast-forwarding madness that had just occurred.

Ishizu and Anzu ended up dragging the two teens away, shaking their heads in annoyance. It was clear that the numb skulls were definitely going to need some extra help getting out of the city in one piece.

Truth be told, they'll be lucky if they manage to get out of this story alive.

* * *

The next morning didn't start so great.

Kaiba woke up to a punch in the face by a still sleeping Joey. He was rambling about someone taking his donuts or something of that sort, not that it mattered to the brunette. He growled, ready smack the teen for waking him up, but he hesitated, noting that their surroundings were a bit off. Instead of being inside the temple, the two of them were inside of some small tent...and they were moving.

"What the..." Kaiba lifted his hands to the sides of his head as he sat up, attempting to rub away the tension headache that was ebbing behind his eyes. "_Great, first I wake up to a punch in the face and now I have a headache...gah, what's worse is that there's no aspirin in this God forsaken time._"

More growls slipped from his lips as Joey turned over, clutching a round, plush blue pillow in his arms. Drool slipped from his mouth like a waterfall as he dreamed of pizza, donuts, and all kinds of junk. There was a very small smile on his face as he continued to dream, his breaths soft and peaceful, just like a little baby.

Kaiba stifled the desire to punch the blonde as he laid back down, his gaze on the ceiling of their tent. He lowered his hands from the sides of his head, letting them rest on either side of him as he took a deep breath. For a moment he contemplated going back to sleep himself...

Unfortunately, one creepy high priest wasn't about to let that happen.

Without warning, Tzekel Khan's face appeared upside down between the curtain in front of the two teens.

"Surprise!"

Kaiba bit back a scream as his eyes snapped open, taking in the sight of the blonde haired loony toon wearing a skeletal ceremonial head-piece over his face. Joey woke up with a start, letting out a strangled yelp as his gaze met Tzekel Khan's.

"Good morning my lords!' he cheered, his head disappearing from sight once he had finished speaking. There was a movement on top of the tent, then the sound of footsteps on pavement filled their ears.

Joey sucked in a deep breath as he clutched the pillow tighter in his arms. "He's back."

Kaiba rolled his eyes, sighing out as his headache intensified. "Fantastic."

Outside the small portable, enclosed throne-room, Tzekel Khan walked over to Chief Atem, smiling triumphantly as he approached his side. Atem's gaze stayed fixed ahead, his mind filling with worries over what was to come for his people. He let out a small sigh, glancing up at the now purple sky. The sun was still rising over the horizon, making the area look dark and mysterious.

"Now, it's my turn," Tzekel Khan stated darkly, glaring down at the shorter man. Atem made no reply, opting to keep silent and allow the events to unfold despite the uneasiness he felt.

Tzekel Khan locked his gaze on the people sitting in the makeshift stone stands across the massive ravine below him. With another smile he pumped his fists into the air. "The gods have awakened."

The natives cheered, bowing down as someone sounded a ceremonial horn.

Around this same time, Kaiba stepped out from the tent/throne, his mind still groggy as he turned. He took in the narrow bridge directly in front of him, Tzekel Khan and the Chief standing a few paces back from the edge of the brick structure.

Joey stepped out behind him, but not as gracefully.

"Aaaaaaaah!" The blonde fell flat on the ground.

As the men carrying the makeshift throne/tent left, Ishizu and Anzu stepped forward, carrying bronze bowls filled with lilac petals in their hands. With nimble and slightly shaky fingers, the two of them tossed out the petals a little at a time.

"Gah! What's going on!?" Joey screeched, hurrying to his feet when he noted the scores of natives sitting on the other side of the ravine.

Kaiba glared at Ishizu. "Well?"

Anzu was the one that answered, glancing back at both boys with a scowl on her face. "It's not gonna be good."

"Oh yes, that's helpful," Kaiba muttered, rolling his eyes as she pranced away from him.

"We're preparing for a ritual," Ishizu explained, her eyes narrowing on her brother. "Like Anzu said, it's not going to be good." With that said, she followed behind her friend.

The two teens locked their gazes on Tzekel Khan then, watching as he addressed the people.

"This city has been granted a great blessing," he began, "and what have we done to show our gratitude?" He glared back at the chief once more. "A meager, celebration?" With a wave of his hands he pointed to the two teens, watching them with adoration as they took a few steps forward. "The gods deserve a proper tribute!"

A few natives came off from the side of the path, holding up a large bag wrapped in flowers within their hands.

Joey smiled, excitement rising within him. "You think the treasure is in there?"

"Possibly," Kaiba replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "We'll see."

Tzekel Khan raised his hands once more as the natives lowered the bag to the ground. "It is the beginning of a new era! The dawning of a new age..."

He trailed off as he waved his hands around the bag. A dark green energy swirled around the bag as he continued waving his hands.

"...demands..."

The bag disappeared completely, revealing a girl. Thick ropes were tied around her hands and ankles. Her short ebony hair swayed in the growing wind as she let out a gasp.

"...sacrifice!"

The girl glanced back, tears filling her light blue eyes.

Joey gasped aloud, even going so far as to take a step backward at the display. "Kaiba...that's Rebecca. She looks different with the tan skin and black hair, but that's her! I know it is."

Kaiba narrowed his gaze on Tzekel Khan as he stalked toward the girl. The high priest extended his hand out so it hovered over her head. Her eyes immediately glazed over, almost as if she were in a trance. As he raised his hand, the girl followed, rising to her feet as a small moan slipped from her lips. There was almost a carnal look to Tzekel Khan's eyes as he did this, almost as if he were enjoying it.

"I don't like this," the brunette stated, his gaze narrowing further as another native handed the priest a sharp sword made of silver.

Joey nodded, his hands curling into tight fists "We have to do something now Kaiba."

Tzekel Khan gripped the hilt of the blade tightly, barely touching the girl's back with the tip. She stepped forward mechanically, completely unaware of the ravine and the swirling water below. The high priest raised the blade high above his head, clear malice in his eyes as he prepared to kill the young girl.

"Stop!"

Kaiba's voice echoed into the air, causing Tzekel Khan to freeze in his movements. He turned, his eyes meeting the brunette's gaze as he came forward with Joey only a couple of paces behind. From the sides of the bridge, Ishizu and Anzu stared at the duo, shock as well as relief written all over their expressions.

"This is not a proper tribute," Joey stated in an authoritative voice. He passed by Tzekel Khan, catching the Rebecca look-alike as she fell backward. Without any effort he picked her up bridal style.

Tzekel Khan's lilac eyes widened as he stared at the blonde behind him. "You do not want the tribute?"

"No, we want tribute," Joey answered, "it's just...Kaiba you tell him."

Kaiba groaned at being forced to engage in any conversation with the obvious lunatic of the story, but the idiot had left him with no choice in the matter. With sheer determination in his sapphire eyes he glared down at the high priest while pointing up at the sky with his index finger. "The stars are not in position for this tribute."

Tzekel Khan blinked in confusion. "The stars?"

"The stars."

It was honestly the best excuse he could come up with. Don't forget, our genius C.E.O. is dealing with a migraine right now.

Joey nodded his head, turning to carry the girl to one of the awaiting guards appointed to the sides of the bridge. "Like he said...the stars...can't do it. Nope, not today."

Kaiba's eye twitched a bit at the blonde's interference, but he kept his glare on Tzekel Khan despite this. He dared the lilac eyed native to question his logic.

Tzekel Khan laughed nervously. "Perhaps it is possible that I misread the heavens."

"Don't worry about it," Joey answered, having handed the girl to the guard. He made his way back to the two men. "To err is human, to forgive..."

Kaiba smacked the blonde in the back of the head before he could finish.

"Ouch...Kaiba!"

"My lords!"

Joey and Kaiba turned upon hearing the new voice. Chief Atem stood in front of the entryway to the bridge they stood on, smiling as he addressed them. "Please, allow the people of Eldorado to offer you our tribute." With a sway of his hands he stepped aside, allowing the two "gods" to see the scores of young women carrying golden plates with hundreds of golden items stacked atop them. They shimmered and glistened in the rising sunlight, the glow so magical that the two teens couldn't stop themselves from gaping. Joey was especially ecstatic, having never seen anything remotely close to this in all of his life.

Atem glanced between the golden display and the two teens. "My lords, does this please you?"

Joey sighed out in ecstasy while Kaiba shrugged in indifference. The blonde quickly fell in line, correcting himself, saying the gold displayed was acceptable. To take the tribute wouldn't help in their mission, but neither of them were about to refute the people for their unyielding kindness and generosity.

And seriously, we're not just talking about ordinary gold here. We're talking about really beautiful, metallic, and expensive looking gold and a lot of it to boot. Plus, there aren't any strings attached. It's a free gift baby. Would anyone turn that down?

I didn't think so.

"The gods have chosen..." the chief trailed off, his gaze questioning them. "To Shibalba?"

The two women watching all this shook their heads, inwardly telling them to stop, but Joey and Kaiba weren't really paying attention. The allure of the gold had gotten the best of them, which was surprising considering that the latter was filthy rich.

"To Shibalba!"

Anzu groaned, slapping her hand in front of her face. "Oh, great."

"We really have a pair of idiots on our hands," Ishizu added, sighing as the other women formed two lines on either side of the bridge. The first woman stepped forward, the gold bowl in her hands practically overflowing with golden items. With a smile on her face she lifted the thing just before tossing its contents over the heads of the two teens. Their shocked gazes followed the gold as it fell into the deep ravine. The crowds of people across the ravine cheered in excitement as the items slammed into the rushing water.

The sound of it made Joey's stomach churn as more gold sailed over his head. "Kaiba..."

Ishizu and Anzu rushed to their sides then, seeing the distress on Joey's face. Kaiba still looked indifferent to the situation, but he was starting to feel a little sick on the inside too. After all, watching all that gold fall into a whirlpool would make anyone sad.

"What are they doing Ishizu?" he asked gruffly.

"They're sending it to Shibalba," she answered, "the spirit world."

Joey's expression deadpanned as his shoulders began to sag. "Spirit...world?"

Anzu rolled her eyes. "I'll take care of it."

With all her feminine charm and elegance, she silently pranced over to Atem's side. "Excuse me, Chief, the gods have changed their minds about Shibalba."

He gave her a questioning look with his stunning violet eyes. Anzu responded to it by nodding her head towards Joey. His shoulders were still slumping over. At this rate, the poor guy was going to fall off the edge of the bridge.

"They wish to bask in the reverence shown to them."

Atem nodded, taking in a big breath.

"STOP!"

The other women immediately halted, their gazes snapping to the chief as his voice continued to echo through the air. After a moment, the only sound was that of a golden plate rolling toward the edge of the bridge. Joey stopped it from falling over with his foot. He wasn't about to watch one more piece of gold drop into the unforgiving waves. Kaiba shook his head in shame, though inwardly he was relieved. After all, whose to say that the true treasure of Eldorado couldn't be hidden within one of the gold pots or something similar. For all they knew, the treasure could have already fallen into the ravine.

"They wish to bask!" Atem shouted. "Take the tribute to the gods' temple!"

Anzu smiled in satisfaction as she made her way back to Joey's side. "Told you I could handle it." She crossed her fingers. "Me and the chief are like this."

Joey let out a sigh of relief as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "Thanks."

Kaiba scoffed. "We have business to attend to Wheeler..."

"And we'll be attending to it with you," Ishizu cut in, allowing a smirk to grace her features. "Right Anzu?"

"You better believe it." There was an extra bounce to her step as she started forward with Joey on her heels. Kaiba and Ishizu followed a few paces behind, smirks on both of their faces.

They were unaware of Tzekel Khan's own gaze following after the quartet as they walked away from the scene of the almost execution. However, after a moment his gaze shifted and locked on to the man who caused his embarrassment.

Atem could feel the man's gaze on him, but he wasn't afraid. He glanced over his shoulder and met his gaze, practically mocking the high priest with the huge smirk plastered across his face. He turned away soon after, falling in step with our heroes as they departed.

Tzekel Khan lingered, his mind raging with plots and schemes to destroy the ruler of the city.

"Smile while you can."

* * *

"I swear I didn't...nooooooo!"

Baron Santiago clenched his fists tightly as his eyes followed Cortés. Two of his guards were dragging along a younger member of the crew, chuckling darkly as they threw him on the sandy beach the rest of the crew stood on.

"So, you thought you were going to deceive me did you?"

"No sir!" the younger man cried, practically burying his head in the sand. "I swear I didn't take it."

Cortés spat at him. "Filthy scum. Don't try to lie your way out of this." With a gutteral growl he removed his sword from its sheath. "Keep the heathen still."

The young man tried to wriggle out of the grip of the guards as they pinned him to the sand. Baron felt his throat tighten as Cortés stepped forward, holding his sword high above his head with a malicious grin on his oddly pale face.

"Keep in mind that this is the fate for any and all traitors!"

The screams of the young sailor echoed into the warm air as Cortés brought the sword down upon his neck. The scream cut off, making it clear to every witness that the man was dead.

Silence filled the air as Cortés lifted his sword from the body. Baron's eyes locked on the blood dripping off the blade, his stomach churning with guilt. David and Raphael noticed the shift in Baron's demeanor, but they didn't address it. This was the price that had to be paid for them to survive. Framing an innocent man wasn't something the three men found joy in. It was nothing more than a means to an end.

Even so, Baron couldn't shake the self-loathing that welled up inside of him. His actions had caused an innocent man to lose his life. He should have been the one to die at the hands of Cortés. He should have paid the price of treason.

"It's done," Raphael whispered from his spot next to him. "Do not look back. Move ahead."

Move ahead? How was he supposed to move ahead from this? It's not that Baron was a stranger to death or to taking lives. He had done so many times in the past, but allowing someone else to take the fall for him was something he had never EVER done. Though a master manipulator at times, Baron was still a fiercely loyal person at heart. The man he had just framed for his crime was someone he had met on their first voyage to this land. He'd never bothered to remember his name, but Baron knew he was an honorable man; the kind of man who would never dream of stealing a map just to increase his own riches.

And now he's dead because of Baron's treachery. Knowing that was like receiving another punch to the eye.

Cortés smirked, not bothering to wipe off his blade as he placed it back in its sheath. His dark brown eyes narrowed as he noted a rowboat on the shore a few feet away and footprints in the sand. His eyes followed their path, his smirk widening as they disappeared into the jungle.

"Well, well, well," he muttered as his guards finally rose up from the ground. "What do we have here?" He turned back to the corpse of the alleged traitor. A laugh fell from his lips as he reached down, picking up the decapitated head by the hair. He stared into the wide eyes of the dead man as he turned to face his crew.

"The two stowaways from before are to be brought back to me just like this," he barked, holding the head out in front of him so every crew member could see it. "Kill them on sight. Understand?"

"Yes, sir!"

With that said, Cortés led them across the sandy beach, following the footprints left by the two escaped fugitives.

* * *

A/N: Initially I was going to make this chapter longer, but after reading through it, I decided that this was a better stopping place than what I had originally planned. Much to my own surprise this last scene got a little gory. I probably should have rated the chapter M for that, but I didn't because I was trying to focus more on the humor aspect of this story. (Plus I write the first author's note before even attempting to write the actual chapter.) Anyway, despite the dramatic ending, I hope you liked this chapter. Thanks for reading and thanks to all my reviewers. You guys are awesome!


	10. Sorrowful Memories

A/N: This story is centered mostly around Joey and Kaiba, but for this chapter, I want to delve into the other characters more because their backgrounds are alternate from their canon counterparts. For this reason, Joey and Kaiba won't be in this chapter...much.

Warnings: This chapter is a bit more drama oriented. Not planning for any major humor.

Disclaimer: We're skipping that for today.

Chapter 10

Sorrowful Memories

Two hours after the near execution ceremony and the celebrations that followed after, Chief Atem returned to his golden palace. He sighed as he entered, his gaze falling to the marble tile beneath his feet. His footsteps were slow as he walked across the small living room to a plush teal colored sofa. After sitting down he let out another sigh while raising a hand to his forehead.

"Atem?"

The chief lowered his hand from his head as he shifted his gaze toward the new voice. In the doorway leading to the kitchen stood his wife, Mana.

Her mid-length brown hair shifted slightly as she tilted her head in concern. "Are you alright?" She took slow steps into the room, her long emerald-green dress swaying with each step she took. "You are not looking well."

"I'm fine," he whispered, leaning back against the pillows as Mana sat down next to him. "Dealing with Tzekel Khan has just become...more stressful as of late. He nearly killed a little girl today...he said the sacrifice was going to pay tribute to these so called 'gods'." A small smile lifted the corners of his mouth. "I'm almost sure that the two of them are lying, but...I'm grateful to them for saving that little girl. After all, if Tzekel Khan is willing to sacrifice innocent children...whose to say he wouldn't attempt to sacrifice one of our children Mana?"

Mana placed one of her hands on his shoulder. She used the other to gently turn his head so his violet gaze met her sapphire eyes. A soft smile graced her features as she spoke. "Atem, that will never happen. I realize Tzekel Khan is not to be trusted, but he doesn't have the power to do anything to our family..."

"He has that sister of his, Ishizu," Atem pointed out, his gaze drifting away from hers. "Tzekel Khan has arranged a marriage between her and my brother without consent from either one."

"That is true," Mana agreed, "but your brother is in love with Ishizu. She's beautiful, kind, and intelligent...a sharp contrast to her brother...except in the looks department. He's quite handsome."

Atem groaned. "If by handsome you mean disgustingly feminine then yes, Tzekel Khan is quite the charmer."

Mana giggled. "Oh, come on, he doesn't carry himself that way..."

"He doesn't have to," he interrupted. "His face and that ridiculous blonde hair is enough...not to mention the lilac colored eyes. Seriously that's just...weird."

"Darling, I don't believe we are supposed to say words like "weird" in this story," Mana stated, breaking the fourth wall after the authoress expressly stated that this was supposed to be a serious chapter.

Atem pulled away from his wife, opting to rise up from the couch. "It doesn't matter Mana. The point I am attempting to make is this: Tzekel Khan desires power. He already gained a great deal from his role as high priest, his position is practically equal to my own because of its importance to the people. I do not trust him nor do I trust his sister. For all we know, she could be just as psychotic as he is. Only a day has passed since she robbed the temple after all."

"Anzu was there as well," Mana pointed out, also rising up from the couch. "Are you going to call her a no good thief?" She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Knowing her, she's probably the one who instigated the idea to begin with."

"Possibly," Atem relented, a slight groan slipping between his lips as he said the word. "Even so..."

"Even so nothing. You just want to place all the blame on Ishizu because of your history with Anzu."

Atem started to talk, but stopped. The last thing he wanted to do was argue with his wife. She was right anyway. His past relationship with Anzu made him bias to anything that could mar her reputation, not that her reputation was all that great to begin with. Her past was filled with struggle and hardships. Anzu's mother died giving birth to her and her father committed suicide a few years later, leaving Anzu's older brother, Honda, the only person left to take care of her. However, when she was twelve, her brother died in battle against an enemy tribe, leaving her without any family to support her.

Atem's father, Aknankadin, took her into the palace, telling her the story of how Honda had bravely given his life to save his in the battle. Anzu had taken pride in this and she became quick friends with the children, including Atem himself and his brother Mahad.

A year later, Aknankadin passed away, having succumbed to an unknown illness. His death made Atem, the eldest son of the bunch, the next chief of the clan. It was huge responsibility for him to take on at the tender age of fifteen, but he willingly took the burden of his birthright, jumping into his new position without any trace of hesitance. At first, some natives worried that the new chief was happy about his father's death.

However, thirteen year-old Anzu knew better than to believe that. Despite orders for her to stop hanging around the new ruler of the city, she stuck close by, offering a helping hand where she could. When the two of them were alone, Atem would sometimes allow his grief to billow to the surface. She would embrace him, allowing him to shed silent tears on her shoulder.

More years passed, with Atem and Anzu being together as nothing more than best friends, despite what Atem may have wanted back then. Anzu had other dreams for her life, dreams she never discussed with him or with anyone else. Mana came along around that time, her friendship providing the perfect distraction for a love that would never be experienced.

When Atem was eighteen and Anzu sixteen, Tzekel Khan came on the scene with Ishizu and his servant Kunta Kente at his heels. Ishizu was a year older than Anzu while Tzekel Khan was two years older than Atem. The young chief, lacking in necessary judgement at the time, signed Tzekel Khan on as the new high priest. Ishizu and Anzu became inseparable, causing the latter girl's relationship with Atem to fizzle, not that it really mattered to Atem anymore. He was slowly falling in love with Mana. After three months, the two of them married.

In the five years that have passed since then, Mana has given birth to his seven children. Doing so had not been easy for her. The first go around she ended up with quadruplets, the idea practically an omen of death for people living in that time. She survived by the skin of her teeth on that one and nearly died again when she had to give birth to a pair of twins a year after the first go. A year after that, Mana was given a slight reprieve, giving birth to one child and only one child.

Gazing at her now as she placed her hands firmly on her hips, Atem still couldn't fathom how the petite woman had found the strength to deliver all those kinds, run behind and take care of those kids while he handled the affairs of the city, and lose all the baby weight to boot.

She was truly an amazing woman.

"You are right," he told her, smiling softly as he took measured footsteps toward her. Mana was still glowering at him, but her tension eased when he placed his hands on either side of her face. "Anzu has been a very close friend of mine for years. It wouldn't surprise me if she did come up with the scheme to steal from the temple and Ishizu just played off of Tzekel Khan's mistake to escape from their punishment. After all, I think you and I both get the feeling that Lord Kaiba and Lord Joseph aren't who they claim to be. Most likely they are just strangers who stumbled into our land."

"Yes, but...they did stop the volcano from erupting," Mana stated, staring up into her husband's eyes. "It's possible that they could be who they say they are."

Atem shrugged. "In any case, you need to realize something Mana."

She raised an eyebrow. "And what is that?"

He smiled, closing the distance between them as he pressed his lips against hers. Mana blinked in slight surprise, but it didn't take much time for her to return her husband's kiss. Closing her eyes, she wrapped both her arms around his neck. His smile widened against her lips as he deepened the kiss, moving one of his hands to her waist while the other continued to caress her cheek.

After a long moment Mana pulled away, a blush on her cheeks as her eyes locked on something behind her husband. "Keep that up and we'll end up with another one of them." She pointed, giggling as he turned to face their youngest child crawling across the floor toward them.

Atem walked over to the crawling girl, his eyes brightening when she stretched her tiny arms out towards him. With gentle yet strong hands he picked her up in his arms, raising his daughter up high in the air as she cooed and giggled.

"How is my little flower on this fine day?" he asked, lowering his arms so he could hold her closer to him. She cooed again, smiling as she blinked her huge violet eyes. He laughed, turning his gaze back on his wife. "She looks so much like you Mana."

"But she has your eyes," Mana stated, moving to stand next to her husband as he cradled their little girl in his arms. "And the crimson strands in her hair are definitely from you too."

The two of them would have continued talking about the newest edition to their family, but that was when their servant Natubek entered from outside.

"Chief!" he exclaimed. "My apologies for interrupting again, but the gods are on their way here."

Atem's gaze narrowed on his servant as he handed the child to Mana. "Are you certain of this?"

"Yes," Natubek replied, lowering his head. "Also, I have received great news from the guards outside the city. Your younger brother has returned from his battle with the enemy tribe and will be arriving here at sunset."

Atem nodded. "Tell me, do you know where Ishizu is right now?"

"I saw her and Lady Anzu traveling with the gods earlier this morning," Natubek answered, " but I have not seen either one of them since then. Forgive me, sir."

"Do not concern yourself over it," Atem told him, smiling apologetically at his wife. "I would like you to find Ishizu. Have her meet my brother at the docking port while I stay here to deal with the gods. If Anzu is with her, tell her to come to the palace immediately."

Natubek bowed. "Very well sir."

As soon as he departed, Mana gave her husband a questioning look. "You are sending Ishizu to meet Mahad?"

"I am," he told her, his expression falling into a small frown. "It is a test to see if she loves him as much as he loves her. Anzu may also have some insight on how Ishizu feels about this marriage Tzekel Khan is forcing on her. The two of them attempted to leave the city together with tribute from the temple after all. If my assumptions are correct then it's clear she doesn't want this marriage even though my brother loves her."

"You would like to know Anzu's reasoning for wanting to leave as well," Mana asked, still feeling slightly insecure.

"Yes, but you don't have to worry Mana," Atem stated, placing a chaste kiss to her cheek. "This is just so I understand the situation and nothing more than that. Anzu has her own life to live. She isn't obligated to this city as we are."

Mana sighed, a soft smile on her face. "Yes, I suppose you are right." She turned away, winking at her husband once more. "I best take care of Iris here. She's getting fussy. Good luck my dear."

With that she was gone, leaving Atem to stand alone once more.

* * *

About an hour later, Atem found himself gaping at the two teens before him.

"A boat?"

Joey was thinking along the same lines as he glanced at Kaiba seated in the stone armchair next to his. The brunette's fingers laced together underneath his chin, his elbows resting atop his crossed legs as he narrowed his sapphire gaze on his rival's look-alike. Atem definitely found the look disturbing, but he kept his composure from slipping as he leaned back on his personal throne within the largest room of his palace.

"We really hate to be ascending so soon," Kaiba continued, "but some urgent business has come up. Family matters and such."

Atem narrowed his own gaze. "I see, but we all expected you to be staying with us for the next...thousand years..."

"Well, as they say in the spirit world there's your plan and then there's the gods plan," Joey chimed in, smiling broadly despite the confusion circulating through his mind.

"And our plan calls for a boat," Kaiba finished. "We're going to ascend in a horizontal pattern first and then vertical as we get further out to sea." He quickly glared at Joey, mentally telling him not to say a word about his explanation. Again, it was the best the young C.E.O. could muster with a migraine headache involved.

"Well, to build a boat large and glorious enough..." Atem paused, wracking his brain for a second, "would take about a week..."

"We don't have a week!"

Atem flinched in surprise at Joey's sudden display of fury. The blonde had risen to his feet, huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf as his eyes nearly bulged out of his head.

Kaiba reached out, grabbing the sleeve of Joey's shirt before roughly pulling the blonde back into his previous position in the chair. "Do you think Tzekel Khan could do it faster?"

"For the gods...we can have it done in three days," Atem stated, "and our boat will be of a higher quality."

Kaiba didn't like the sound of that, but Joey seemed to calm down considerably. "If that's the best you can do, we can accept that."

Atem smirked, seeing a small opportunity to expose the two teens. "Perhaps if you two weren't loaded down with so much tribute, you could leave sooner."

"I have no problem with expelling some of the..."

"I like it here," Joey proclaimed, cutting into Kaiba's sentence. "Three days is fine by me."

Kaiba turned, ready to kill the blonde, but he just kept talking, saying, "Three days is perfect! It'll give us more time to say goodbye to everyone."

Atem glanced between the two of them, noting the wide grin on Joey's face and the scowl on Kaiba's. At this point, he really wasn't sure what to make of the two.

At that exact moment, Natubek entered the throne room, bowing his head to the gods and then the chief as he spoke. "Sir, I present Lady Anzu as you requested." He left the room as Anzu pranced in, her arms crossed defiantly in front of her chest.

Joey rose from his chair again. "Anzu? What are you doing here?"

"I was called here," she replied, her gaze never straying from Atem. The cheerful demeanor Joey and Kaiba had become accustomed to in the last day in a half was completely wiped clean, replaced with a stoutness that rivaled Kaiba's own nonchalant attitude.

Said brunette rose from his chair. "We should take our leave Wheeler. I presume the chief has other business to attend to." He stalked to the doorway Anzu had entered in, his scowl revealing his annoyance to the situation. "Have the boat ready in three days or you will receive punishment directly from me."

Joey smiled apologetically to the chief once Kaiba had left. "Don't worry about him sir. He's just in a really bad mood today." He nodded at Anzu. "See you later." With that he left the throne room, but he stopped after rounding the corner. Anzu's sudden change in attitude had intrigued his interest.

Atem gestured to the armchairs. "Have a seat."

Anzu crossed the room, plopping into the chair Kaiba had just been sitting in without a word, but her eyes spoke volumes. She wasn't happy to be here, that much Joey could see without having to use a shred of brain power.

"There are some issues we need to discuss Anzu," Atem began, his gaze softening as he looked at her.

"Like what?" she asked, her body tensing. "There isn't anything I particularly want to discuss with you."

Atem blinked, surprised by her words. "Anzu...why the hostility? We're friends, aren't we?"

"Of course," was her instant reply. "However, I am not happy with some of the decisions you are making regarding Ishizu. Natubek relayed orders for her to wait for Mahad at the docks and for me to come here. Those orders were yours, correct?"

"Yes."

"Then you must know why I'm upset," Anzu continued, crossing her legs. "Mahad seems like a wonderful man who deserves someone to love him completely and wholly. Ishizu cares about him, could sacrifice her happiness without thinking about it for him, but I don't think that's right. She needs to follow her heart instead of her twisted brother's rules. Doing so isn't fair to him or her." She paused, moving her arms so they laid on the armrests. "You know as well as I do that this marriage business is for Tzekel Khan to gain more power in this city. He wants to use Ishizu to control Mahad, turn him against you in order to cause a civil dispute. After that, he's more than likely to betray both of you and his own sister. He nearly sacrificed a little girl today. What's to stop him from killing off your children once he gets you and Mahad out of the way?"

Atem nodded, clenching his fists as he fought to keep calm. "Yes, I realize that Anzu. That is why I sent Ishizu to the dock...her actions yesterday have made her decision about the issue clear. I will not punish her for that. You are right Anzu. She should be allowed to marry someone she loves."

"That goes against years of tradition," Anzu stated, smirking slightly. "You aren't one to break the rules."

"You forget that I chose my wife without the consent of the royal council," Atem fired back, his gaze unwavering.

Anzu shrugged, her smirk falling into a scowl once more. "Fine, but that doesn't explain why you sent Ishizu to meet Mahad. What are you trying to do?"

"As I said before," Atem began, "Ishizu has made her decision clear. She doesn't want to marry my brother. Mahad will be saddened by this, but he will move on and find his true soul mate just as I have..."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Anzu cut in, her glare intensifying. "Are you still upset because I didn't choose you." A bitter laugh fell past her lips. "My, my Atem, that pride of yours is astounding."

The comment stung, Joey could tell by the look on Atem's face, but the chief didn't waver. He continued without pause saying, "This conversation has nothing to do with that..."

"You brought it up with the whole "true soul mate" bit," Anzu cut in again.

"Enough!" Atem rose to his feet, stalking toward her as he glared straight into her sapphire eyes. "The point of the issue is this: Ishizu needs to tell Mahad how she feels about the situation to his face instead of running away from him."

Anzu stared up at him unflinchingly. "And what if he can't accept it? He's not as strong as you are Atem. When your father died he completely poured all of his focus into training and fighting. In battle, he's a cold and ruthless. He kills the enemy even when their giving up and begging for mercy. In other words...Mahad has a very dark side."

"How would you know all that?"

"I..." Anzu trailed off, her gaze finally falling to the floor. She had said too much.

From his spot around the corner of the doorway, Joey waited for one of them to say something, but the silence dragged on for a long time.

Atem finally let out a sigh. "You left with him didn't you? You broke the law of our city and joined him a battle?""

Anzu couldn't look at him. "My hair is short like this for a reason you know." She finally gazed up at him and Joey noted the tears shining in the corners of her eyes. "The year you married Mana was the same year I became a soldier. I left with your brother and fought alongside him. It wasn't easy to conceal my identity, but I did it. Mahad doesn't know...even to this day. I fought and I killed...to avenge my brother."

Atem took a step back, his violet eyes reflecting emotions Anzu couldn't begin to name. "So that's why...that year when you disappeared..."

"I was killing scores of enemy tribes," Anzu finished, her voice cracking on the words. She slowly rose from the chair, her gaze still on the floor. "He forced me to kill innocent people too...even children. That's how I know."

Joey almost gasped upon hearing this, but he kept silent to watch the scene evolving in front of him.

"Is that why you wanted to run away?"

Anzu shook her head. "No Atem, not just that. It's because this place holds too many memories for me." She finally met his gaze, the tears finally slipping down her cheeks. "Everywhere I turn, everything I see..." she paused shaking her head while wiping away the tears. "I'm reminded everyday of something I have lost. My parents, my brother...you..."

Atem's violet eyes widened at that. "Me? What do you..."

"I loved you!" Anzu interrupted, more tears cascading down her face. "I couldn't tell you...I wanted to, but I couldn't because..." she trailed off, barely lifting her shaking hands. "I can't...I won't do this. I have to go."

Joey quickly darted behind a tall plant as Anzu rushed to the doorway. Seconds later she ran out, tears streaming out behind her as she did. Atem followed, but he stopped at the doorway, his outstretched hand falling to his side as his gaze lowered to the floor. Had he been thinking clearly, he would have seen Joey cowering behind the plant next to him, but all his thoughts were centered on the nineteen year-old girl as he turned and walked back into the throne room.

For a moment, Joey stayed where he was, taking in all he had witnessed. He was shell-shocked to say the least. After all, Anzu was a mirror image of Tea aside from the tan skin. To envision her fighting and killing people was something he simply couldn't wrap his head around.

Of course, he realized that Tea and Anzu were two completely different people despite their looks. After all, Anzu's personality was a complete contrast to Tea's, but it didn't really matter. Joey only saw that one of his best friends, different personality or not, was crying her eyes out and he didn't like it.

* * *

Meanwhile on the docks, Ishizu was having similar issues with love.

He had arrived twenty minutes earlier with the army, smiling triumphantly as he announced his victory. The small crowd that had gathered cheered while Ishizu stood a few paces back, dreading the words that needed to be said, though she suspected that he would hide his feelings once she conveyed what she truly felt, pretend to understand and all that madness.

So his reaction...was quite the surprise.

"What!?"

"I'm sorry, but that is the truth of the matter." Ishizu stated, flinching a bit due to the intensity of his voice.

Mahad, the younger brother of Chief Atem, clenched his fists as he took a step closer to her. She stepped back, refusing to let him touch her. She had made her decision and she wasn't about to change her mind because of Mahad's declarations of love or because of her brother's threats. She was her own person and she was going to follow her heart.

Still, it probably would have been a better idea to do all this when the crowd had been around. Now the dock was completely deserted and silent.

"How can you speak of such things?" Mahad questioned. "After everything we've been through, you'd do this?"

"Do what?" Ishizu asked. "I'm only telling you the truth. I don't love you Mahad. You're a good friend and I care about you, but I have never nor will I ever be in love with you."

Mahad gritted his teeth. "You will marry me." Without warning he locked his hand tightly around Ishizu's wrist, squeezing to the point of pain as he pulled her closer to him. Ishizu attempted to protest, but Mahad silenced her by slamming his lips against hers. After a few seconds, Ishizu found the strength to push him as far away as she could.

"I will not!" she screamed, slapping him hard across the face. She turned around, about to break into a run, but Mahad gripped at her long hair, pulling her back into his arms once more.

"You don't have a say in the matter Ishizu," Mahad stated, whispering in her ear as he held her against him. "Your brother and I made a deal. I get you and he gets to rule this city after the chief is done away with."

Ishizu's eyes widened as she lost all feeling in her limbs. "What?"

"Before I left to fight, Tzekel Khan and I made a deal," he repeated, smiling vindictively, a look so uncharacteristic for him. "You see, I love you Ishizu and I'll do anything to have you. Even give up my claim to this city's throne."

"You have no claim to the throne," Ishizu stated, "It belongs to...the first born child of Atem's family...that would be any one of the quadruplets. They get to decide between themselves who gets the throne, that's how Atem wants it to be." She struggled, the feeling returning to her as she began to fight against Mahad's grip again. "Now let me go!"

"Fine!" He shoved her and she plummeted to the paved ground. A gasp escaped her as she hit the ground, her gaze snapping back as Mahad stalked toward her once more. She backed away from him, having no idea how to defend herself other than kick him where it really hurts. Unfortunately, she wasn't in the best position to do so. What she needed to do was get to her feet and run like a mad woman, steal something from the temple, grab Anzu, and leave the city for good. Actually, at that moment she could have just ran clear out of the city without doing any of those things. What mattered was getting away from the manic man in front of her.

With that in mind she shakily got to her feet and took off, pure adrenaline propelling her forward as Mahad chased her across the docks. Most of the civilians were in their homes now, preparing for the Age of the Jaguar that Tzekel Khan announced earlier that day. Ishizu growled, inwardly cursing her brother. She knew he was a power-hungry maniac, but she never dreamed he would sell her out like this.

"Where do you think you're going!"

Ishizu felt herself being yanked back again, the force of the tug caused her to fall flat on the ground again. This time, Mahad knelt, pinning her arms down so she couldn't escape his hold.

"Let go! Let go of me now!" She let out more screams and closed her eyes, not wanting to see the face of her attacker. "Someone help!"

"I'll be happy to oblige!"

Ishizu's eyes flew open and locked the brilliant Seto Kaiba as he slammed his fist into Mahad's jaw. The impact sent him flying but freed Ishizu from her confinement. She rose up on her elbows, staring at Kaiba in complete shock as he stalked toward the man with his hands curled up into tight fists. Seconds later a swarm of guards rushed around Mahad, ceasing him without warning.

"What is this about!?" he questioned, glancing between his brethren. "Don't you people know who I am? I'm the chief's brother!" He focused his gaze on Kaiba. "And who are you pale-face?"

Kaiba slammed his fist into Mahad's nose. Blood immediately spurted out, staining his shirt as he glowered at the man.

"Seto Kaiba," the brunette muttered. "Do you know the penalty for assaulting an unarmed and defenseless woman?"

Mahad growled. "I don't answer to you. That name means nothing to me!"

One of the guards slapped him across the face. "This is one of the two gods Tzekel Khan foresaw in his vision. You have disgraced our city with your disrespect."

Kaiba smirked as Mahad's gaze widened. He was suddenly apologetic for his crimes, but the young C.E.O. wasn't about to let him slide for what he had witnessed him attempting to do.

"I should have you executed," he stated, "but I'm feeling merciful today." He nodded at the guards. "Put him in the deepest dungeon you have here. I'll decide his fate later."

"Yes, my lord!"

"No! Let me go!" Mahad screamed as the men dragged him away. "I just finished vanquishing our enemies...you can't do this to me. I'll have your heads for this I swear!"

Ishizu watched the display, completely frozen in place as her breathing began to slow. Her mind was still racing, but as the seconds turned into minutes, it began to register that she'd been saved.

"Ishizu."

Her gaze snapped to the brunette as he knelt to her level. For a long moment she stared into his eyes, relief filling her soul.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I...believe so," she answered, barely nodding her head. "I just...didn't expect Mahad to react that way. You see..."

"There's no need to explain," Kaiba cut in, glaring somewhere behind her. She didn't look back. Mahad's enraged expression wasn't something she wanted to see.

"Thank you." She smiled up at him despite the shakiness of her voice. "You saved me from a terrible fate. For a moment I was certain he was going to..." she couldn't complete the sentence, "Thank you."

Kaiba simply nodded, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as he helped her stand up. She was still shaky from the trauma, but he figured she would be alright after a day or two. "I'll take you to your home. Where is it?"

Ishizu shook her head. "No, I can't go home...Tzekel Khan...he set this up. He...Mahad just told me that he was planning on selling me out so he can take claim of Chief Atem's throne." She lowered her gaze, her body slumping as her emotions clouded her judgement. Leaning her head against Kaiba's chest, she allowed all the tears she'd been holding back to fall.

Kaiba blinked, completely taken aback when Ishizu's body began to shake uncontrollably. With shaky fingers she grabbed the front of his shirt, willing herself not to make a sound as the tears continued to fall. His body was stiff as she continued to cry, but after a long moment he finally wrapped one of his arms around her waist, barely pulling her closer.

There wasn't anything else he could do.

* * *

A/N: And that ends this chapter. This didn't turn out how I had originally planned and I actually like this result better strangely enough. Though, I think I may have rushed the ending a bit because Kaiba seriously came out of nowhere. Even so, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Below, I have listed the ages of all the characters in this story, (all the age talk can get confusing. I wrote it and I got confused.) Some of the new editions to the character line-up are below too. If you guys have any questions, let me know. Have a lovely day!

By the way, in later chapters, we're going to meet more of Atem's children so stay tuned.

Joey = 18

Kaiba = 19 (Technically he is a year older than everyone in the original series.)

Anzu = 19

Honda (At the time of his death) = 19

Ishizu = 20

Mana = 20

Atem = 21

Tzekel Khan = 23

New character editions

Mana = Mana

Honda = Tristan

Natubek = Shadi

Kunta Kente = Odion (If anyone out there has seen Roots, you'll know where this name comes from.)


End file.
